Cast by the Light
by ChaosProjectAuthor
Summary: A hero and his friends, pursued for a crime they didn't commit. A mad doctor, bent on taking over the world. An alien hybrid, searching desperately for a purpose. A government spy, sent to investigate a conspiracy from long ago. All come together for a classic tale of Adventure and Battle. Even the darkest shadow must be cast by the light. A Sonic Adventure 2 novelization.
1. Part 1: Throw it All Away

_…_

 _It doesn't matter, now, what happens…so throw it all away…_

 _Hang on to the edge of tomorrow…you'll always find your way…_

* * *

 **21:02**

 **Prison Island: Inside the base**

Sirens wail as the world is cast in a harsh red warning light. A female voice declares over the sound system, "Intruder alert! Intruder alert! Security breach at Gate 3!" A complicated series of security doors slam shut and lock tight. "Intruder has been located in the north quadrant and is moving in the direction of the underground base! All units prepare to engage. Emergency battle formations! Standard battle procedures initiated." The unending series of doors continue to close.

Suddenly, a massive explosion shatters the final door seen closing. The voice continues, "Locate and stop the intruder from entering the security area!" As the smoke of the explosion clears, the figure of a tall, two-legged mech can be seen. "This is not a drill! Repeat, this is not a drill!"

Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik sits in the mech as a large weapon mounted on its shoulder begins firing rapid shots. "Hahahahahaha! That was all too easy!" He stops firing, and the mech begins running forward. "Let's take a look at what my grandfather was working on…a top secret military weapon! But the military shut down the research because they feared it!" The mech leaps downward, landing at another level.

The sound system sounds, "Assume level 1 defense formation," as Eggman blows down another security door. On the other side, he finds a small, Chao-like robot.

"Omochao," Eggman declares. "What are you doing here?"

In a childish voice, Omochao responds, "Executing my primary programming, sir. I'm here to help you. I've gathered lots of information, and now I can give you hints to help you!" Eggman continues moving, and Omochao flies up to follow him. Suddenly, three military robots drop down in front of them. "Remember, hold the attack button down to Lock-on! Release it to fire a Homing Missile."

Eggman does as Omochao says, and the robots are destroyed by his missiles. He thinks to himself, " _Don't you think it would have been more relevant to tell me about the robots instead? Looks like there are still a few bugs to work out. But I have more important matters to deal with right now."_

He comes across another door, and again blows right through it. The sound system again declares, "Level 1 security door breach! Emergency Formation!" Eggman thinks to himself, " _All too easy."_

—–—

Finally, Eggman enters the door to the central room of Security Level 7. Omochao seems to have left. In front of Eggman is some sort of complex machine with a computer console. "Oh ho!" He walks right up to the machine. Within a translucent yellow sphere in the center of the machine is some sort of small floating black blob. "So this is the military's top secret weapon? It's a lot smaller than I expected."

He activates the console, which immediately pops up with a prompt. Eggman begins reading, "Enter user data…ah…enter password… Password is MA-RI-A. Maria! Now all I have to do is to place the Chaos Emerald into this console." He takes out a large, brilliant, sparkling light-blue gem, the Chaos Emerald. He places it in.

Suddenly, the floor behind the console begins to give way, revealing a hidden room underneath. Eggman's mech leaps down into the room. In the center of the room rises some sort of pod. As the rising stops, a large amount of steam is released as the pod begins to open. The figure of a hedgehog rises up out of it.

"What's that? Is that you, Sonic? Are you trying to spoil my plans again?" He pauses as the steam clears. "Wait a minute, you're not Sonic. This is impossible!"

A hedgehog, with pitch-black fur streaked with red, stands with his arms crossed atop the pod. He speaks in a deep voice, "My name is Shadow. Since you were so kind to release me, my master, I will grant you one wish."

Before Eggman can respond, another alarm goes off as a loud mechanical sound can be heard. "Now what!?"

Shadow immediately jumps into action, and, for a moment, floats in the air as small jets of fire are released from his shoes. "Behold the true power I possess!" In a flash of light, he suddenly seems to disappear. He reappears in the upper tier of the room, face-to-face with a massive two legged walker with large cannons mounted on each shoulder. There is a soldier in the glass-covered cockpit. The side of it reads: "B-3x _HOT SHOT_ : Heavy-Armed Combat Walker—G.U.N."

For just a moment, Shadow has a flashback. _A soldier stands holding a handgun pointed downwards towards a cowering figure. The scene seems to be shrinking away. But not shrinking quickly enough for Shadow to miss the flash of the gun. He could hear her scream in his mind. And the label on the soldier's chest flashes in his mind over and over again—G.U.N._ Shadow returns to reality. He thinks, _"So, they're still around? That makes my revenge so much easier. I will fulfill my promise…"_

The soldier in the walker speaks into his radio, "This is Scorpion Troupe _Hot Shot_. Intruder has been located. En route to intercept, and destroy." A female voice responds, "Copy that."

The _Hot Shot_ lifts into the air with jets, and begins machine gun-like fire from a frontal weapon, sweeping forward. Shadow easily rolls out of the way, and takes a step back to get a careful look at his enemy. The _Hot Shot_ turn around and makes a landing, and Shadow goes in for an attack. The walker's large cannons open up and send out a flurry of Homing Missiles. One narrowly misses Shadow as he runs past, and each of them explode as they impact each other at the place where he just stood. Shadow leaps up and strikes straight at the cockpit, creating a large crack, and startling the soldier inside. Shadow bounces off, and lands several feet back.

As the _Hot Shot_ lifts into the air, the pilot frantically shouts into the radio, "This is Scorpion Troupe _Hot Shot_ , enemy is stronger than expected! Request additional support!" The walker begins charging some sort of energy cannon, and it aims to target Shadow. He takes note of this, and makes one quick movement to the side. An instant later, the cannon moves to follow. _"Too slow,"_ Shadow thinks. He begins forward at a run, and the cannon releases a beam of energy, impacting just behind him. The walker is forced to land once more. This time Shadow is ready, and is already on the attack by the time its missiles are prepared. This time he breaks through the cockpit entirely, impacting the controls on the inside. This causes a series of critical malfunctions, and the entire unit becomes racked with small explosions.

The pilot shouts into his presumably broken radio, "He is too strong!"

Shadow glares at the crumpled mess of a machine. "Pathetic humans." He continues to think, _"I'm nothing like you. I'll be letting you live. Maybe you might learn a thing or two before you're all destroyed."_ He turns back to Eggman, who has been watching the entire time.

"Destroying that guard robot was spectacular!" Shadow scoffs, and turns the other way again. "So, Shadow, _you_ are the military's top secret weapon?But what did you mean when you said you will grant me a wish?"

Shadow takes the Chaos Emerald that Eggman put in the console to awaken him. "Bring more Chaos Emeralds." He begins to walk off.

"Shadow, wait!"

He looks back one last time. "I'll be waiting for you…in the central control room…on the space colony, ARK."

"ARK!?" Shadow only responds by lifting the Chaos Emerald, and warping away in a flash of blue light.

—–—

 **11:08**

 **Desert area**

On a raised ruins platform, Knuckles the Echidna glares past the great green Master Emerald, to the bat standing on the other side of it. She demands to him, "Just…let it go! You just don't know when to give up, do you?"

"What are you talking about? That Emerald's mine! You got that?" He sweeps his arm and steps forward, emphasizing the point. "The Master Emerald contains special powers that neutralize the energy of the Chaos Emeralds." He closes his eyes as he begins lecturing from memory. "That makes it very powerful!" He opens his eyes to see a large mechanical claw clamping around and lifting the Master Emerald. "What the…!?"

The bat also cries, "Whaa? Thief!"

As the claw lifts the Emerald up to Dr. Eggman's hovering Egg Mobile, Knuckles scoffs, "Look who's calling who a thief!"

Eggman now speaks, "I came here following the signal from the Emerald…but if I'm not mistaken, this is the Master Emerald, is it not?"

Knuckles barely lets him finish before shouting, "It's you…Dr. Eggman!"

The bat notes with curiosity, "So that's Dr. Eggman."

Eggman continues, "Well, I guess I can use it for something. I'll just take it with me." Eggman's craft turns and begins to float away. "Farewell, knucklehead!"

"Not if I can help it!" Knuckles leaps into the air after the Emerald, and strikes it with one powerful punch, knocking back the Egg Mobile, and shattering the Emerald.

The bat yells in disappointment, "Aaaaaaaah!" She grabs the still-recovering knuckles by the shoulders and begins to violently shake him. "What was that all about? And look what you did to _my_ Emerald!" She lets go, and he reels back a step.

"I did that to prevent the Master Emerald from being stolen, you idiot! If it's in pieces, I can restore it. And by the way, that's not _your_ Emerald."

Meanwhile, Eggman has begun floating away. "Hmmm…it doesn't matter. I'll look into it once I get back to the base."

Knuckles and the bat can only watch as he floats off into the distance. The bat yells off at him, "I despise anyone who takes jewels from me! All the world's gems are mine to keep!"

Knuckles counters, "Yeah? We'll see about that, bat girl!"

"You won't be so smug after I gather all the pieces of my Emerald." She jumps off of the platform and begins to fly off. She turns her head back to shout, "By the way, my name is Rouge the Bat! Better known as the treasure hunter, Rouge!" Knuckles glares at Rouge in anger.


	2. Part 2: It Doesn't Matter

_…_

 **13:2** **7**

 **Above the capital city**

A military-grade helicopter soars over the city. The pilot can be heard speaking into the radio, "Sigma-Alpha 2 heading due south over the city. We're en route, everything's a go." The radio responds, "This is control tower. We have you on radar. Report cargo status of captured hedgehog aboard, over!" "That's a 10-4. Cargo secured on board and… _what!?"_ "Didn't copy that, over!" "The hedgehog is gone, he's taken out everyone aboard and–" "What's wrong!? Come in, over!" "What in the world!?"

Sonic the Hedgehog unexpectedly bursts out of the door of the vehicle, grabbing on to the back as the door tumbles down to the land below. "The remaining soldier shouts out to him, "Freeze! What do you think you're doing!?" He shouts to his likely unconscious comrades, "Get that Hedgehog!"

Sonic pulls himself up on to the top of the helicopter, careful to crouch below the spinning blades. "Talk about low budget flights! No food or movies?" He rips a strip of metal off of the top. "I'm outta here! I like running better!" With that, he leaps off of the vehicle, having attached the metal board to his feet. He begins to perform tricks in the air, spinning and cheering, "Yeah!"

As he falls, he thinks, _"How come G.U.N.'s after me? …I guess all I can do now is escape from the city. I'm a bigger target here…and people might get hurt."_ He's near the ground now. _"Gotta time this just right."_ Aimed over a steep street, he changes the angle of his board to match. Finally, the metal slams into the street, and begins rapidly sliding downward, acting almost like a skateboard. "Nailed it!"

Quickly approaching a corner, he pulls up on the side of the board, and barely skids around it, continuing down the sloped streets. He weaves around a taxi, which honks at him as he passes. He turns back to look at it, and shouts, "Sorry!" While his back his turned, he smashes right through a parked trolley. "Whoops."

—–—

Sonic is no longer on the board. He appears to have made it to a park area. Standing next to a stairway in front of him is the small robot from before, Omochao. Sonic looks on with delight, "Sweet, a robot to smash up!" He pounds a fist into an open hand, and begins moving towards Omochao.

"Wait, I'm not bad, you got the wrong idea!"

Sonic stops. "Just what are you?"

"I'm Omochao! I'll tell you anything you want to know. Look for me if you ever need some help!"

"Anything I want to know?"

"Omochao knows everything! For example, did you know the doctor's mustache is fake?"

Sonic ponders that for a moment. "I…don't think that's true, actually. And I didn't really want to know that. But if you really want to help, you can tag along."

"Okay!"

—–—

Sonic is back running on the streets. He takes a look around. None of the cars are moving, and there are no people in sight. "It's quiet…too quiet…" Suddenly, a massive truck comes flying over the top of the sloped road, smashing through parked cars on both sides of the road as it goes. It is plastered with a large G.U.N. logo. "Uh oh!" He takes off running faster than ever, with the truck right on his tail. He suddenly rounds a sharp corner in an attempt to lose the truck, but it goes straight through the corner of a building to keep up with him. He tries again, but still to no avail. Finally, he sees his chance ahead. Before him is a tall building with a low-hanging arch on the bottom for walking under. He slides under the arch, and the truck crashes into the building head-on, coming to a complete stop. Sonic never looks back, but keeps running onwards towards the outskirts of the city.

—–—

 **Approximately 17:00**

 **Desert Area**

Knuckles climbs a steep canyon cliff with his fists. He thinks angrily, _"That bat actually thinks that she can find the pieces of the Master Emerald before I can. Ha! Little does she know, I'm tied in with the Emerald through the power of Chaos."_ He stops moving and closes his eyes. In his mind, he begins to see the rough shape of a gem shard, flashing. As he concentrates, two more appear, flashing at different rates. One of them flashing furiously, indicating that it's close by. He opens his eyes again. "There's definitely three of them in this area. And one of them…" He suddenly begins digging into the wall. He comes out holding a sparkling gem shard. "…is right here!" He chuckles. "Just two more to go."

—–—

Rouge wanders through some ruins built around what appears to be dried-out lagoon. _"That Knuckles thinks that he has title to that beautiful gem just because he had it before. Well, I'll show him. I've been hunting gems for my entire life, and I know exactly how to find them. Now, I'm sure I saw a few shards flying off in this direction…"_ She spies a vase lying in a corner, with the light hitting the inside of it. A faint green refraction of the light can be seen coming back out. "Aha!" She runs forward and smashes the vase, revealing a shard of the Master Emerald inside. "Ah, I just love jewels." She picks up the shard and carefully examines it. "Can't seem to get enough of them."

—–—

 **20:22**

Eggman still seems to be in the desert, but night has now fallen. There is a large pyramid some distance in front of him. "Those idiots will never find my hidden base inside this pyramid. Let's take care of business here first, then get inside." Several G.U.N. sentry robots seem to be exploring the area. He targets three of them, which are quickly obliterated by his Homing Missiles. _"Can't let them see what's in there, now can we?"_ He continues onward toward the pyramid base.

—–—

Eggman has made it to the interior of the pyramid. He no longer rides in his mech. As he enters the room, he seems to be deep in thought. "With the Chaos Emerald…in the space colony ARK…hmm…" Suddenly, he comes to a conclusion, and pounds his fist downwards. "I've got to find out just what's going on up there!" He makes his way across the remainder of the room, coming to a console with a holographic screen projected above.

He presses a button, and the console lights up, as a news report is displayed on the screen. The reporter speaks in a foreign accent, "We interrupt this broadcast for an important news flash. There has been a break in at the federal reserve bank today." Eggman immediately becomes intrigued. "Mysteriously, the only thing that was stolen was–"

Upon the appearance of an image on the screen, Eggman shouts, "The Chaos Emerald!"  
The image of the Emerald is followed by live footage being recorded in pursuit of the suspect. A silhouetted hedgehog figure stands atop a high ledge. "According to eyewitnesses at the scene, the subject was identified as the world renowned hero, Sonic the Hedgehog. The suspect was seen fleeing the scene, destroying the reserve's guard robots in his path. Stay tuned for more details." As she says this, the figure on screen turns to face the camera.

Again, Eggman shouts, "Sounds more like the work of Shadow!"

—–—

Shadow the Hedgehog stands atop a high ledge, the tallest point on the long red bridge connecting to the capital city. Police sirens wail as their cars group together around his ledge on the road below. They are so tightly grouped that a crash seems quite likely, especially as more cars skid to a stop to join the group. Shadow looks down at them with disgust. "How pathetic!"

He looks off, distracted as an unwelcome thought comes to his mind, another flashback. _The corridors of the ARK speed by as Shadow runs past. A voice shouts from behind him, "Find them before they escape!" Someone next to him is breathing heavily, having a difficult time keeping up._ He fights back the memory for just a moment, only to be pulled back in. _Shadow now stands in the middle of a wider room, with wide windows viewing the planet below. Near the wall, a young blond girl hunches over a computer console. Shadow shouts in pure anguish, "Maria!" She pushes a button, and a glass wall collapses around Shadow, trapping him inside the escape pod. "What!?" The girl, Maria, turns to face him. She pleads, "Shadow, I beg of you…" The memory_ seems to _go_ hazy for _just_ an instant _, but then returns. "…please do it for me." Shadow shouts, surprised by her wish, "Maria!?" She simply continues, "For all the people…on that planet…" She turns back to the console, unable to face him. "Sayonara…Shadow the Hedgehog." Solemnly, she presses another button, and the pod is launched away from the colony. Away from Maria._

Shadow finally returns to his senses. "Maria!" he shouts out loud. "I still remember what I promised you, for the people of this planet…I promise you… _revenge_!" With that, he leaps off of his ledge, and begins grinding down the attached rail towards the police blockade below. Military planes have now joined, and send down a flurry of bombs at him, which he easily avoids by jumping to the road. G.U.N. robots block his path, but he easily crushes them, and continues his way along the highway into the city.

—–—

Sonic the Hedgehog walks through a large, empty square on the outskirts of the city. He thinks, _"Looks like all the people have been evacuated. Guess I don't have to worry about that anymore. But if the military's still on my tail…then this is gonna be where they strike, in a wide open area."_ He stops and looks around. He taunts out loud, "This game of tag is boring. I'm outta here!" Immediately, the ground shakes as something heavy impacts the ground. He turns to look at the large G.U.N. walker which landed behind him, presumably of the same model as the _Hot Shot_. The label reads, "F-6t _BIG FOOT_ : Ground-Air Combat Walker." "Hmm! Finally decided to show up, eh? Okay, bring it on!"

The pilot says into his radio, "This is Fighter Troupe _Big Foot_ reporting to headquarters. Enemy movement has been detected." The radio responds, "Copy that." The _Big Foot_ lifts into the air, and sweeps forward with machine gun-like fire. Sonic rolls out of the way.

—–—

Sonic lands back on the ground as the _Big Foot_ becomes racked with small explosions. The pilot cries out in shock, "What!? With just one hedgehog?"

Sonic chuckles. "Thanks guys, take care." Police sirens wail in the background. He turns to walk off, but suddenly hunches down and breathes a sigh of relief and exhaustion. But a moment later, he turns back towards the crumpled walker with shock. "What!?" Standing atop it, he can see what at first glance seems to be a shadowed version of himself.

Shadow takes something out and holds it up. "It all starts with this…" It's the green Chaos Emerald, the same one stolen from the federal reserve. "A jewel containing the ultimate power…"

Apparently now aware of the robbery he was framed for, Sonic shouts, his fears confirmed, "That's the…Chaos Emerald!" Shadow barely pays him any notice. "Now I know what's going on! The military has mistaken me for the likes of you! So…where do you think you're going with that Emerald?" He starts running straight for him, ready for a fight. "Say something, you fake hedgehog!"

Shadow says two words. "Chaos Control!" The Emerald begins to vibrate in his outstretched hand, and becomes cloaked in a harsh blue light. The light shimmers, shines, and pulsates, lighting up the entire square as if it were daytime. Finally, the light condenses into a single, blinding green point around his hand. In an instant, the light, the Emerald, and its holder are warped away. But as Sonic continues to run forward, not having a chance to react, he sees appearing beside him, for less than an instant, the doppelganger hedgehog looking him right in the eye.

Before he could even process what he just saw, Shadow was already long past him. He skids to a halt as he turns around in the direction Shadow appeared to warp. "Wow, he's fast." Shadow now looks down from a building several stories up on the other side of the square. He still holds the Emerald. Sonic thinks about this for a moment. "Hey…it's not his speed. He must be using the Chaos Emerald to warp!"

"My name is Shadow. I'm the world's Ultimate Life Form." He now casually tosses the Emerald into the air and catches it again, over and over again, as he speaks. "There's no time for games…farewell!" With his final catch of the Emerald, he once more extends his arm as it takes on a blinding glow.

Sonic grunts in pain and shields his eyes from the light. The process seems to go much quicker this time, inferring that he was merely showing off the first time. Still covering his face, he ponders, "Shadow…what is he?" By the time the light subsides, he discovers that he's completely surrounded on all sides by hordes of G.U.N. soldiers and robots. "Huh!?"

"Don't move! Stay where you are! Keep your hands up in the air!"

"Not again!"


	3. Part 3: My Sweet Passion

…

 **22:18**

 **Pyramid**

Rouge's communicator beeps as she opens a channel. "This is Rouge. I've located Eggman's base and will proceed to enter it now." After waiting a moment for a response, she shuts off the communicator and sighs. "I hate to say it…I guess I'm going to have to find that key first." She continues to think, _"Not to mention that I'll have to ignore that beautiful Master Emerald for a while."_ She starts moving in a search for the key. _"By now, that Knuckles must have at least the three shards that I've managed to find…maybe more. But the mission must come first."_

She stops moving as she hears a loud noise from the next room over, getting louder. She looks over to see a large, slow-moving, jet-propelled security robot. Upon seeing her, it sounds off a loud alarm, and targets her for an attack. Acting on an impulse, she dives backwards into the shadow of a tall pillar. Suddenly, the alarm stops. The robot scans back and forth, but appears to find nothing. It goes back to its regular patrol route. Rouge breathes a sigh of relief. "Phew! I've gotta be more careful." She goes back to her search. _"This is going to be harder than I thought."_

—–—

Rouge takes the key out of the door and runs through before it's finished opening, still watching over her shoulder. She relaxes when the door shuts behind her. She's arrived in the familiar center room of the base. Pages of data scroll up on the holographic screen. But she appears more interested in the layout of the controls on the console. "It's a space transporter!" She begins tapping at the controls. "The destination has been set to…ARK!?" She thinks for a moment about what she knows about the ARK. "Wasn't that space colony shut down over 50 years ago? What's he doing up there anyway?" She shakes her head. "Doesn't matter. It's my mission to find out what he's up to."

—–—

 **22:41**

 **ARK**

Eggman rides an elevator up a dimly-lit shaft. "So this is the space colony ARK. I have to locate the central control room that Shadow mentioned before he left." The elevator arrives at a narrow platform. A large automatic door sits before him. But it doesn't open. He blasts through the door with the cannon on his mech, and proceeds through.

—–—

Eggman walks into a massive circular room with one large mechanical device in the center, rotating around itself slowly. Shadow stands by the computer console connected to the machine. "I've been waiting for you, Doctor." Eggman makes it to the center of the room, and hops out of the mech. "Now, I will show the glorious achievement of what the world's leading scientist, Professor Gerald, has created." The computer console lights up as the central machine begins to spin more rapidly. "The ARK was the first space colony created by mankind." The circular platform Shadow stands on also begins to rotate around the machine. "Not many people know that the ARK contained a top secret research facility where weapons of mass destruction were being created." Holograms full of data and colorful images are casted all around the machine. "This is one of them. A weapon capable of destroying an entire planet, code named…the Eclipse Cannon." He dramatically points at the machine behind him.

Eggman seems intrigued by this. "Destroying an entire planet…was this my grandfather's legacy?"

Shadow now holds the green Chaos Emerald. He continues, "But it's been deactivated for some time now." Suddenly, he tosses the Emerald into a slot on the machine. There are six other slots. "To reactivate it…large amounts of energy are necessary…" The core of the Eclipse Cannon begins to glow.

"Oh…so that's why we needed the Chaos Emerald!"

"Exactly! To reactivate the machine, we _need_ the seven Chaos Emeralds. Once you have that, then you have the ultimate power of destruction, to use as you please. And then…the world could be yours!"

Eggman can't help but let out an evil laugh. "Hahahahahaha! Sounds like a plan. I like the way you think, Shadow! I will get the Chaos Emeralds, use the machine to dominate the world, and build a legacy of–"

Another voice interrupts, "Do you really think it will be that easy?" Rouge the Bat hangs upside-down on the ceiling, clearly having heard the whole conversation. She swoops down to the floor. "I've got a great idea. How about making a deal?"

Eggman seems dubious. "A deal?"

"When you grabbed that huge Emerald, you said something about a reaction." She thinks back to the event in question. _"I came here following the signal from the Emerald…but if I'm not mistaken, this is the Master Emerald, is it not?"_ Rouge continues, "A reaction that it may have with the Master Emerald. Now if you could just let me borrow that radar, I _may_ be able to help you. What do you think?"

"If I do, what's in it for me?"

"I have an idea where the other Chaos Emeralds may be. It may not look like it, but you know that I am a treasure hunter that specializes in all kinds of jewels." She whips out the dark blue Chaos Emerald.

The doctor looks impressed, but then suddenly looks downwards to contemplate the offer. Shadow gives just the slightest nod. Eggman finally gives in. "Very well."

"Okay, then it's a deal? I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Rouge the Bat, but you can call me Rouge."

—–—

 **11:13**

 **Prison Island: Coastline**

Eggman stands in his mech in a forested area on the coast of a small island, near the coast of a larger one. "Having to come back isn't my idea of a vacation! How can you be sure your intelligence reports are correct? Why would the Chaos Emeralds be here on the island? Are you absolutely sure?"

Rouge, standing next to him, shrugs. "Well, believe what you want to believe." Shadow seems impatient.

Eggman gives in, "Hmph! Very well, very well. Let's discuss how we are going to do this. I will go in first and distract the military troops, allowing you to sneak in the base without being detected. Then Shadow will…" He pulls out a rectangular device with a timer on the front. "…enter the armory, where he will set the timer on these dynamite packs. Once that is in place, we will blow up the whole island and get away before anyone has a chance to know what hit them!" He turns to Rouge. "Meanwhile, you'll have to sneak into the cargo area and grab the Chaos Emerald! That's a challenge for such a worthy treasure hunter as yourself…isn't it, bat girl?" He points a finger at her. In response, she gives an extremely casual salute, with a wink and a smile. "We only have 30 minutes to pull this mission off! And we only get one try, so don't fail me!" He promptly proceeds forward. Shadow and Rouge go off in their own directions.

Eggman leaps from his small island onto an aircraft carrier, crowded by a horde of robots. He easily destroys them all, and continues on his way.

—–—

 **11:56**

 **Prison Island: Nearby airspace**

Miles "Tails" Prower flies Sonic's plane, the _Tornado_ , over the open ocean. "There's no mistake about it. This must be the island. It's a secret military base that is reinforced and super strong! It's called Prison Island. I heard the news about it on satellite TV. I still can't believe that Sonic would destroy the military buildings…or rob the bank!" He shakes his head. "Wait for me, okay Sonic? I'm on my way!" He looks down as he passes an aircraft carrier, and is shocked at what he sees. "What!?"

—–—

Eggman, Shadow, and Rouge, seem to have met back up. Eggman commands, "Okay, everyone ready? Shadow, Rouge, on with the show!"

Suddenly, a voice cries out from behind them, "Oh, Sonic! I thought I'd never see you again!" Amy Rose embraces Shadow in a big hug from behind. "I'm so glad you made it! I–" She cuts off as she takes a closer look at the person she's hugging. She stumbles backwards. "You're not Sonic! Who are you!?"

Eggman interrupts, "I'm the one who should be asking that!"

"Dr. Eggman!" She lets out a scream.

Eggman recognizes an exploitable situation when he sees one. "Ah, Amy, your timing is impeccable!" She starts to run off. He turns to his partners. "Leave it to me! I'll take care of her. You two go!" They each nod and go off.

Amy stops as she reaches the edge of the aircraft carrier they stand on. Eggman corners her, and continues to approach closer."Give up, Amy!" She takes another step back, and nearly slips off the side. She seems to be out of options. Suddenly, the sound of a large object falling can be heard. They both look up to see the _Tornado_ falling out of the sky. As it falls, it begins to transform, morphing into large walker. Its two legs land with a crash between Amy and Eggman.

Amy looks with relief to Tails. "Boy am I glad to see you!"

"Stand back, Amy!" He turns back to the doctor. "Eggman, you won't get away with this!"

Eggman seems amused. "Hahaha! You're just a kid. You couldn't beat me in a hundred years!" With the press of a button, he launches the first missile.

Tails' mech leaps over the missile, and fires one of its own.

—–—

Tails and Eggman stare across at each other. Both mechs seems badly damaged. The situation is no longer in Eggman's favor. "This time, I'll let you go. But the next time we meet…you won't be so lucky!" His mech clunks loudly as it runs off.

Amy runs up to Tails. "Wow, Tails, you did it! But what are you doing here on this island?"

"I'm the one who should be asking that question! Don't you know it's dangerous here?"

"I know, but I'm here to save my hero, Sonic!"

Tails groans, "Again?"

"Hurry! I know Eggman's up to no good again!"

Tails takes on renewed confidence. "Okay, you stay here, and I'll be right back!" His mech starts walking off.

"Don't leave without me! I wanna help Sonic too!" She runs off after him.

—–—

Sonic rapidly taps his foot on the ground. He gives up on that, and starts pacing back and forth in his prison cell. He stops and turns suddenly as he hears a noise from the ceiling. Amy drops down from the space above, on the opposite side of the cell bars. "Huh, Amy?"

Before he can finish, she commands in a whisper, "Shhh! Keep your voice down!" She steps closer to the cell. "Have no fear…" she does a fancy little twirl. "…Amy rose is here!"

Sonic moves away from her, towards the back of the cell. "How'd you get here?"

"Well, if you gotta know, I caught a ride with Tails." She pulls out a G.U.N. security card, presumably stolen. "Are you sure you don't need my help?" She waves the card in the air, right in front of the bars. "It looks like you could use it."

"The reason I'm in here is because of that fake hedgehog!"

"You mean that black hedgehog?"

He suddenly turns, moves closer to the bars, and demands, "Did you see it? Where is it now!?"

Taking a hint from Eggman, Amy recognizes an exploitable situation when she sees one. "If I tell you, will you marry me?"

Sonic goes right back to the other side of the cell. "No way!"

Amy turns and snaps in defeat, saying, "I thought I had you this time!" She goes to a control panel on the side of the cell, and slides the card through it. It beeps, and the cell bars begin to rise. Sonic walks out, and begins stretching. She informs him, "That black hedgehog came here with Dr. Eggman."

"So, Eggman's behind this, huh?"

Amy now seems to be looking past him, at the inside of his cell. "What's all that writing on the wall, anyway? Did you write that?" Just as she says, countless incomprehensible equations are scribbled on the back wall of the cell. She waits for a reply, but receives none. She turns back around to see that Sonic is already gone. "Wait for me, Sonic!" She continues to herself, "He's such a brat sometimes!"


	4. Part 4: Fly in the Freedom

…

Rouge stands in a massive, highly-secure room. All around the walls, and in structures in the center of the room reaching to the roof, are small, organized, locked compartments, each presumably holding some valuable or dangerous object. Adjustable walkways stretch across and between the walls. Shadow's voice sounds over the radio, "I'm in position, Doctor. Tell me when." Eggman's voice responds, "There's been an unexpected delay on my end. There's no more time to waste. Set the timers for 15 minutes! Let's go, Rouge!"

She puts away the radio and says, "Five minutes should be plenty! Here I go!" She leaps off of a walkway to the ground below, to begin her search. The radio again sounds, "Rouge! Get the three Chaos Emeralds before the military finds you!" She pulls out the Emerald Scanner, and thinks, _"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm going!"_ The Scanner indicates something on the next floor up. She grabs on to a lift, which pulls her up there. She begins walking past several compartments, and as she reaches one, the Scanner starts beeping wildly. "It's gotta be close!" She turns to the compartment. She starts clawing at the panel on the front, which breaks, causing the door to open. The purple Chaos Emerald sits inside. She picks it up and stares at it admiringly. "Only two more!" Eggman shouts angrily over the radio, "Hurry up, Rouge! The island is set to blow up! You only have four minutes left to stay on schedule!" She ignores him, and moves on to the next Emerald

—–—

Rouge now holds three Emeralds, the purple, red, and turquoise-blue. She seems to be making her way out of the complex, but she stops as she passes by a massive vault. _"Now what could be in there?"_ She looks at her timer. _"I still have some spare time. Let's check it out!"_ She runs into the vault. It appears to be mostly empty. Suddenly, the vault closes behind her, giving her no time to escape. An alarm wails, and the sound of jets can be heard as a large G.U.N. mech descends. Though it bears a resemblance to the _Hot Shot_ and _Big Foot_ , it has no legs, as well as a few other minor differences. Rouge looks around frantically for some exit, to no avail. She finally stops, and hangs her head in shame. "I can't believe I've come this far…just to fail!"

The label on the side of the mech reads, "R-1/A _FLYING DOG_ : Multirole Attacker." The pilot speaks with a gruff voice into his radio, "This is _Flying Dog_ to headquarters. Intruder found entering security vault. Preparing to attack." The radio calls back, "Copy that." The _Flying Dog_ begins its first strafe across the room.

Rouge leaps up and clings onto a wall to avoid the weapons fire. _"It won't matter if I get blown up if this thing gets to me first!"_ She begins to scale up the wall rapidly, then leaps off and does a corkscrew dive straight down, impacting the cockpit and cracking the glass of the _Flying Dog_.

—–—

Shadow strolls through the jungle on the outskirts of the island. His radio beeps, and he lifts it up to hear it, while he keeps walking. "This is Rouge. I've got a… _small_ problem… I can't believe that I'm trapped inside this locked safe with a Chaos Emerald!"

Shadow gives a faint, "Hm."

"I guess I won't be able to call myself a Treasure Hunter anymore." Shadow looks at the timer, ticking down in the nine minute range. He thinks of Rouge, sitting helplessly in the locked room next to the crumpled heap of the _Flying Dog._ _And he thinks of Maria, sitting helplessly in a different room._ Over and over again, images in his head switch from Rouge to Maria. Finally, he growls out, "Shoot! Troublemaker!" He runs off into the jungle.

—–—

Sonic runs out through the same jungle. The prison lies far behind him. "Phew! So far, so good!" He stops as he hears a faint pair of footsteps landing. His focus is directed upwards, towards a high branch. "Hey, that's–"

Shadow looks down with irritation as he interrupts, "That blue hedgehog again, of all places!"

"I found you, faker!"

Shadow almost becomes amused at this. "Faker? I think you're the fake hedgehog around here. You're comparing yourself to me? Ha! You're not even good enough to be my–"

"I'll make you eat those words!" Sonic shouts as he rushes at Shadow, not even allowing him to finish the insult. Shadow leaps down from his branch to meet him. "You won't get away this time! There's only one real Sonic!"

Shadow also rushes forward. "There's no time to play games. You won't even get the chance!" The two hedgehogs leap up and collide mid air, bouncing off and landing back on the ground.

Sonic quickly shakes it off. "Ha! Bring it on!" Shadow does just so. He feigns a head-on attack, but then goes into a roll, strikning Sonic from down low. He recoils back. "Just who are you?"

"I'm Shadow the Hedgehog, the one and only Ultimate Life Form. You can't hope to defeat me." Before he has a chance to react, Sonic rushes in at top speed, nailing a solid blow straight to his chest. Shadow is sent reeling back. He pants, marveling at Sonic's speed and power. "Oh…I see. So you're not just a hedgehog…" They both leap into the air, and collide once more. They collide again, and yet again. They land on the floor, both panting heavily.

Shadow struggles to run in for a final attack, but immediately stops as his radio beeps. Eggman's voice demands, "Shadow! What are you doing!? Hurry and get back here right now before the island blows up with you on it!"

Sonic is taken aback. "'Blows up!?'"

Shadow wordlessly races off, but spares one last glance to Sonic the Hedgehog.

"I've got to get outta here and find Amy and Tails right away!" He turns around and races back towards the prison center of the island.

—–—

Rouge watches helplessly as her timer passes below one minute. She sits wordlessly for quite some time. She thinks, _"Well, I guess this is it then. Shoulda known they wouldn't've thought I was worth going back for. I–"_ Her thoughts are interrupted as a brief, high pitched noise can be heard, as Shadow warps into the room. The timer passes 10 seconds. He lands on the ground and runs straight towards her. The timer passes 5 seconds.

Rouge gasps in surprise. Before Shadow even reaches her, he begins shouting, "Chaos Control!" All at once, he grabs onto her, the room becomes drowned in a harsh light, and the timer hits zero.

One by one, a long series of high explosives go off across the island, decimating building, ship, and jungle alike. Finally, one last massive explosion covers the entirety of the long island. A small blue airborne vehicle flies just outside of the blast radius.

—–—

 **17:30**

 **Mountainous area**

The sunset casts an eerie orange light through the hazy clouds in the air. Knuckles looks around at the unusual mountains around him, most of which appear to have Jack-o-Lantern-like faces, staring down at the area where he stands. "This place sure feels haunted… But there's no time to lose! I have to hurry and find the Master Emerald." With that, he leaps off of the ledge he stands on, and glides off towards one of the glaring mountains.

—–—

 **ARK**

Shadow stares out the window towards the planet below. _In his memories, he does the same. Maria inquires from next to him, "Shadow, what do you think it's like on Earth?"_

 _He responds, "The professor said his life's work was dedicated to all of those who live down there. He once told that the reason for his existence was making people happy through the power of science." Modern-day Shadow interjects a thought, "Did he really think that? …But I thought…" He trails off as the memory continues._

 _Maria says in concern, "Shadow…"_

" _Maria, I just don't know anything anymore. I often wonder why I was created…" Memory Shadow stares at his hands as he speaks. "What my purpose is for being here. Maybe if I go down there, I'll… I will find the answers. Maybe…" The two silently stare out the window for some time. "Maria…"_

Shadow is suddenly ripped out of the memory. "Why so melancholy?" Shadow turns around to see Rouge approaching from behind him. "That was so unexpected, so unlike you Shadow, to come and rescue me. But your ability to use the Chaos Control certainly comes in handy!"

"Hmph. You know I didn't come to save you. I came back for the Chaos Emeralds."

"Yeah, yeah! But then again, that's not the whole st–"

Eggman clears his throat loudly. "Everything is ready to go!"

Rouge questions, "Are you sure? We only have six of the seven Chaos Emeralds, you know."

Shadow turns to make his way to the control room. "That's more than enough for the demonstration." He pushes his way past Eggman. "So, let's get this show on the road!"

—–—

 **Day X – 18:00**

A TV screen flickers on. Dr. Eggman stands before a striking blue background including his insignia and a series of scrolling words at various speeds in various languages. "Citizens of Earth, lend me your ears, and listen to me very carefully." The broadcast appears to display on every screen in the world. Citizens watch on with concern. "My name is Dr. Eggman, the world's greatest scientist, and soon to be the world's greatest ruler. Now witness, the beginning of the greatest Empire of all time! Hahaha!"

Up in orbit, the rock and dust-encrusted ARK begins to emit a blue glow out of the bottom half of its sphere. The rocky crust blasts apart, revealing a glowing pointed shape on the inside. The pointed structure splits into four separate pillars, which each part backwards and flatten against the bottom of the now-hemispherical space colony, revealing the source of the glow inside. The entire space station turns so that the open pore faces the moon on the other side of the sky. The glow continues to grow brighter, before finally condensing into one large sphere of light, out of which a massive laser fires, brighter than ever. The great beam of light rushes past the planet and impacts the orbiting moon. Horrorstruck citizens follow the beam as it moves. Upon impact, massive chunks of moon rock are thrown out into space, and fissures just as wide form from that point. As the beam finally ends, the remainder of the front half of the moon crumbles entirely, revealing its molten core.

Replacing Eggman's image on the screens of the world is an ominous red countdown timer, starting at 24 hours. Eggman's malicious laughter can be heard.


	5. Part 5: Believe in Myself

…

Eggman pounds his fist against the console, clearly unhappy with the results of his demonstration. Rouge observes critically, "Why are you so upset? Well that was really impressive! You've managed to create complete havoc on the whole planet! Does this mean now we control the planet and can do as we choose?"

Shadow suddenly interjects, "At this rate, the cannon will take too much time to charge up. If you want to unleash its full potential, you'll need all seven Chaos Emeralds."

Still surprised by Rouge's sudden appearance, Eggman demands, "Where in the world have you been!?"

Rouge looks from Shadow to Eggman, both seeming to be in a bad mood. "Something happen?"

Shadow answers, "Our threats fell on deaf ears."

"Look at you! Throwing a tantrum like a little kid," she again criticizes, mostly to Eggman. "How totally embarrassing!"

Offended and looking for a way to end the conversation, Eggman demands, "Don't forget your end of the bargain, bat girl! What about that last Chaos Emerald? We had a deal, right? So where is my Emerald?"

Rouge already seems prepared. "Here you go, I found this!" She pulls out a newspaper, which has Tails on the front page.

"Why didn't you show me this before!?" He rips the paper from her hands. "What's this? 'Station Square saved from a life-threatening missile attack. The city has awarded its famed prize to the boy who saved Station Square. Miles "Tails" Prower was given the Chaos Emerald as a testament of his heroic deed at a ceremony held at City Hall.'" He needs only a moment to recall the missile he had armed in Station Square during the Perfect Chaos incident. The date on the paper placed the ceremony soon after Chaos was defeated. Eggman clears his throat loudly. "This makes things a whole lot easier. Hurry, go back to Earth and find them fast! I want that Chaos Emerald!" He promptly storms out of the room.

Rouge looks over to Shadow, who seems to be staring off into the distance. "Did you get that?"

Shadow says faintly, but still loudly enough to be heard, "Soon enough…Maria…" He turns and walks out, leaving Rouge alone.

Rouge presses a button on her small communicator, and begins speaking into it, "This is Rouge reporting. Currently, I have not been able to confirm if Shadow is the Ultimate Life Form or not. I will continue my research on Project Shadow and have a follow-up report very shortly." She's about to shut it off, when she remembers something. "By the way, don't forget about my jewels."

—–—

Sonic, Tails, and Amy stand agape in the streets, staring upwards. Finally, Amy breaks the silence. "Look! Half the moon is…gone?"

Sonic steps forward in anger. "Eggman! Oh, that creep never gives up!" Sirens sound in the background.

Tails questions, "But how did he manage to harness all that energy?"

"It's got to be…the Chaos Emeralds…Yeah, that's the reason they were looking for 'em!" Tails, meanwhile, takes out a Chaos Emerald of his own, this one a brilliant yellow. Sonic seems surprised. "Tails!" The sirens grow even louder.

"The Chaos Emeralds are like magnets. They have the power to attract each other." The alley they stand in becomes cloaked in a red light, but Tails keeps talking. "I can use that to find where Eggman is."

Suddenly a commanding voice shouts, "The three of you, _freeze_! Put your hands up in the air and get on the ground!"

Sonic immediately takes command. "Tails! I'll take care of the police while you try to find a way out of here! Find Eggman!"

Sonic and Tails each go off in different directions. Amy, still dazed by the impossible sight of a permanent half-moon, finally realizes, "…'The three of you'… That means me, too!" She starts running after Tails. "Hey, wait!"

—–—

 **20:21**

 **Mountainous Area**

Knuckles stands in what appears to be an abandoned mine, partially submerged under water. "Hmm… I didn't expect the inside of the mines to be like this. This is going to be tougher than I thought!" He continues to think, _"And I wouldn't be surprised if this place was haunted too."_ He begins his search through the mines. _"The Master Emerald sure has a funny way of hiding itself. But there shouldn't be too many pieces left now, which means that I definitely have more than that bat."_

—–—

 **9:03**

 **In the capital city**

Tails and Amy appear to be hiding in an alleyway. Police sirens wail. Tails' _Tornado_ mech seems to have transformed into a ground-based vehicle, which he sits in, ready to drive off on a moment's notice. He holds a radio to his ear. Sonic's voice sounds, "Sheesh! There always seems to be a lot of police around when you don't need 'em. Tails, any news yet?"

Tails is looking at a scanner which he has clearly tied to his Chaos Emerald."For some reason, I'm not getting a signal from the six remaining Chaos Emeralds…" He considers for a moment what this could mean. He doesn't seem to come to any logical conclusions. He wonders aloud, "Maybe Eggman took the Emeralds into outer space…"

Amy looks up into the air as she considers this. "Outer space?" She keeps thinking, but suddenly looks down as she hears a loud noise coming from the ground. The manhole cover in front of them begins to rattle. Suddenly, Knuckles throws it out of its hole and pokes his head up. "Knuckles!?"

He looks around and sees Tails and Amy. "Hey guys. Long time no see!" He gives a casual salute. "I must have got lost in the mines. Looking for the Master Emerald pieces was tougher than I thought it would be…" He starts taking a closer look around. "Where are we anyway?" Amy runs up behind Knuckles. "Hey, where you going?" She starts trying to pull him out of the path of the _Tornado_.

"Move aside, Knuckles!"

Suddenly, Tails shouts, "I managed to find the transcripts between Eggman and the President in the government computer!" Amy and Knuckles both stop and listen to Tails. He continues, also into his radio, "I'm following the President's limo right now! If we can get into the limo, we can trace the call to find Eggman!"

Sonic's voice responds, "Okay! Let's meet up there!" Tails' _Tornado_ kart drives off at high speed, nearly running Knuckles over. Amy shouts after him, "Hey! Wait for me, Tails!"

Tails has already made it onto a long bridge. "The President must be over there! Let's go!"

—–—

Rouge drives along the same bridge, in a high-speed car which seems to be designed for her. "I'm picking up a signal from the Emerald… Fox-boy, wait for me!"

Eggman shouts at her over the radio, "Rouge! Did you find Tails?"

She responds, "Uh, wait a minute. Be quiet! Just leave it to me!" She shuts off the radio and picks up speed, blowing past several other cars. "I must be getting closer…" She approaches a long, flat stretch of road, and she can see a blue vehicle up ahead. Upon closer inspection, it is definitely Tails in the _Tornado_. "I found ya, Fox-boy!" She slows down to a more cautious following speed.

—–—

Tails drives along the flat stretch of road, far too focused on what's ahead to realize that he's being followed. But that's because he's spotted a long black vehicle up ahead, the President's limo. "Yeah! I found the President!" He picks up just a little bit more speed to get right into the limo's blind-spot. He presses a few buttons on his machine. He thinks, _"From this distance, I should be able to hear exactly what's going on in there, and transmit it back to the others through the radio."_

—–—

The President's limousine drives into the city from the bridge. "Mr. President, reports show that since the incident twelve hours ago, the country is in turmoil. Our financial communities are impacted, and our satellite communications are down. An emergency meeting has been called. Mr. President, this is a national crisis."

The President closes his eyes as he considers what his assistant has told him. Finally, he responds, "Spare me the details." He turns to a screen in front of him. "Exactly what is it that you want, Dr. Eggman?"

A low-quality image of the doctor appears on the screen, starting a video call. "Hahahaha! Well, let's get down to business then, shall we, Mr. President? I won't bore you with all the details since I know you are a very busy man. Mr. President, my demands are quite simple. Surrender to the Eggman Empire and make no attempts to resist! Otherwise…" He trails off.

"Otherwise?"

"Otherwise your country will cease to exist! You have 24 hours to give me your answer!"

A voice shouts from outside, "No way!"

Sonic the Hedgehog runs alongside the limo. The President gives a surprised, "What the–!?"

Sonic smiles and gives a little chuckle, then leaps up and lands through the limo's sunroof. At the same time, Eggman shouts, "Sonic!? You–" and Sonic taunts, "Eggman Empire, yeah right!"

The President doesn't know what to make of a national criminal appearing in his vehicle and taunting a terrorist. "What the heck is going on here!?"

Tails lands through Sonic's same entrance. Sonic answers, "Don't worry Mr. President, everything is under control. Just leave it to us!"

The President now looks past Sonic to Tails, who is messing with the equipment in the limo. "Oh no, what did you do?" The transmission to Eggman has ended.

Sonic turns to face the same direction. "Got it, Tails?"

Tails pulls out a small data chip. "I got it! He's transmitting from the space colony ARK!"

"Okay! Let's move it!" He leaps out just as quickly as he came in.

"Wait up, Sonic!" Tails jumps out after him.

The limo is already empty again by the time the President can get out a "Hey you, wait!"

His assistant says to him, "Mr. President, we're receiving an incoming signal from our agent."

—–—

 **12:10**

 **Near the capital city**

Shadow stands atop a high cliff, surrounded by tall mountains and canyons. He listens to his radio. Rouge's voice shouts, "Shadow! They're in that blue plane spotted at 11 o'clock!"

"Copy that. I'm in pursuit." He dashes off the edge of the cliff, and, after falling for a few moments, lands at high speed on a rail that stretches between the mountains, which he grinds down with skill.

—–—

Shadow runs at top speed over the peak of a mountain, barely keeping up with the plane above him. Suddenly, he skids to a stop. He's come to the extreme edge, with no rails or other nearby ledges in sight. He can only watch as the plane passes over him. He pulls out his radio. "Doctor, they're heading directly toward us. What should we do?" Eggman responds, "Just sit tight, I've got them on radar. There's no way they can get away." Shadow puts down the radio, recognizing the incoming gloating. Eggman doesn't know, and continues, "I don't know what they are planning, but I'll be sure to give them a _warm_ welcome."


	6. Part 6: Unknown from ME

…

 **13:04**

 **Desert Area**

Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy have exited the plane, and look off towards a pyramid in the distance. Knuckles seems to be indicating towards it, explaining something. Sonic asks, "Inside _that_ pyramid?"

Knuckles answers, "I saw Eggman go inside the pyramid. And more importantly, I saw that bat girl go inside with him as well." He turns to Amy. "You saw them too, right?"

Amy, somewhat surprised, answers, "Well, yeah."

Sonic steps forward. "We should be able to get into outer space from there! I don't know what this space colony is all about, but I'll find and destroy that cannon…and then kick their imperial butts!"

Knuckles steps forward. "All right!"

Tails steps forward in his _Tornado_ mech. "I'll go and find the entrance!" With that, he runs off into the desert.

—–—

Tails blasts open the door to the pyramid with a missile. Sonic, Knuckles, and Amy come up from behind him, some of them struggling to keep up. The inside is a very small room with a hole in the middle, leading downwards. Sonic takes a step into the room. "I'll take lead. Try to keep up." He jumps into the hole, and lands in a long, torch-lit hallway. He hardly takes a moment to look around before running off through the hall.

—–—

The group of heroes stands stopped by a massive door bearing Eggman's insignia. Tails observes, "Looks like we're heading toward the center of the base."

Sonic says with irritation, "That Egghead sure likes mechanical things, doesn't he? I'll bet he has one or two spaceships lying around here somewhere."

Tails steps forward, and begins carefully examining the door. "…The door is locked. We need a key to get in there."

"No problem." Sonic turns to his other friends. "We can find it, right Knuckles?"

"What? Why do I have to find the key?"

"We're counting on you, buddy. The world's greatest treasure hunter!"

Left with no other option, Knuckles turns to look for the key. He thinks, grudgingly, _"I know what I've said before about haunted places…but I'm absolutely sure that I saw a ghost on the way in here. This isn't gonna be fun…"_

—–—

Knuckles strolls back towards the main door, examining the key that he's found. _"I guess that wasn't too bad. Those ghosts were all wimps."_ Suddenly, a terrifying sound which resembles a cross between a snarl, a laugh, and a gargle, can be heard from behind him.

"Huh!? Who's there?" He turns back towards the noise and looks around. Emerging from the shadows behind him is a massive ghost, with two great arms extending from near its bottom, two bulbous yellow eyes, and a mouth taking up nearly its entire girth, even extending back around the sides of its head area. Its teeth are sharpened to a point. "What the…a ghost!?" He gapes at the horrendous figure with wide eyes.

The ghost king makes the sound again, and begins moving rapidly towards Knuckles. He flees in terror, and the chase begins.

—–—

Sonic, Tails, and Amy all stand around by the door, in an awkward silence. Sonic taps his foot. Finally, Amy speaks up. "Do you think…maybe something happened to him?"

Tails responds, "No way, Amy. I'm sure he's fine."

Sonic comments jokingly, "Maybe he was just lying about being a great treasure hunter." Suddenly, a sound can be heard off in the distance. Everyone turns to face it. The torch light casts a massive shadow over them. "What is that?"

The shadow diminishes as Knuckles steps into view, cockily displaying the key to the door. "Oh, what a hassle it was to get this." The group cheers. "Now let's get this door open." He steps forward, places the key in the center of the door, and turns it. The door begins to slide open. Knuckles breathes a sigh of relief, now certain that his troubles are over. "…That was pretty rough…"

Sonic is stretching out his muscles, grown stiff from waiting. Tails turns back to his friends. "We did it! Let's go, Amy!"

Amy can hardly let out a "Yeah!" before Eggman's voice declares from the next room, "You little thieves! Did you really think you could get out of here alive?"

Sonic is ready for action. "Come and get some, Eggman!"

Tails shouts a surprised, "Sonic!"

Sonic waves him back. "Just leave it to me!"

Eggman seems to be in a bit of a hurry. "This time, I'll take your lives as well as the Chaos Emerald." He turns to a great sand pit in the center of the room. "I call on you to destroy these pests—come out, my servant!" From the sand pit rises one giant, rocky hand which latches onto a ground-level platform, and begins lifting up the rest of it.

Even Sonic lets out a "Whoa." The rest of the massive rocky figure rises from the sand, revealing a golem in the shape of a muscular humanoid, with a head which loosely resembles a sphynx. It has some sort of glowing blue machinery on the top of its head.

Eggman commands, "Now go, and squash that blue hedgehog, Sonic!"

The golem obeys, and goes in to pound its massive fist into Sonic. Sonic speeds out of the way just in time, and manages to run around to its back while its fist is stuck in the ground. He leaps up and begins rapidly scaling a series of sharp rocks jutting out of the golem's back, ending up leaping to above the level of its head. He lets out a loud battle cry as he dives into a kick straight at the glowing mechanism on the top of the head. The machine explodes and the golem begins twitching and moving in strange and unpredictable ways, as Sonic lands back on the ground. "Nice try, rocky."

Eggman observes the strange actions of his golem. He comes to the aggravating conclusion, "When Sonic struck his head, he must have broken the restraining mechanism! Arrgh! What a piece of junk!" The golem turns to Eggman, and moves to swipe at him. "No!" He is forced to unload a volley of missiles into his golem aiming in particular for cracks in the rocks. The golem recoils, and bit by bit begins to crumble.

Meanwhile Sonic returns to his friends, and points at something on the other side of the room. It's an entire space shuttle. They all nod and run off towards it. Tails, Knuckles, and Amy get in first, but Sonic waits outside for a moment. One last missile from Eggman has the golem crumbling to pieces. The shuttle shudders and lurches as it powers on, and the entire top tier of the pyramid parts open to make room for it. Sonic takes one last look at Eggman before rushing on to the launching shuttle. Eggman turns just in time to watch his Chaos Emerald and Sonic the Hedgehog escape to the ARK.

—–—

The space shuttle flies through the newly-formed rock field around the ARK, careful not to impact any of them. "So this is the space colony where Eggman is hiding…" An especially large rock suddenly crosses right in front of the shuttle's path, cutting it off entirely. The shuttle veers off to the side to avoid the rock, but the rock is much too large, and the shuttle makes a glancing impact off its side. The whole crew shouts in surprise. The shuttle spirals out of control, and the top hatch flies open. Something shiny scatters off and away into space. A series of jets on various sides of the shuttle begin to stabilize its path, and Tails shouts, "Is everyone alright!? We should be–"

Knuckles interrupts, "Oh no! The hatch doors are open!"

Sonic comforts, "Don't sweat it, Knuckles. The only thing in the cargo bay…are those Master Emeralds!"

"What do you mean, 'don't sweat it!?'" The shuttle starts moving out of control again as Knuckles grabs the controls. "Land this shuttle right–"

"Knock it off, Knuckles! We're gonna crash this thing if you keep that up!"

"Let me out!"

"Oh no! Don't touch that lever!" The shuttle trails smoke as it spirals completely away from the space station. The crew, besides Knuckles, begins screaming again.

—–—

 **ARK: Central control room**

 **Cannon countdown: 2 hours 11 minutes**

Rouge now oversees the Eclipse Cannon in the ARK control room. She speaks into her radio. "Hi, Doctor. How's it going?…What! What do you mean 'they escaped?'…That's okay. I will go after them myself.…Can you tell me the password for the space colony control?…Mm hmm…" She shuts off the radio. "Tricking that old doctor is just too easy! All right, it's time to get to work."

She walks up to the control console. "The password is MA-RI-A.…Maria, hmm? I've heard that name somewhere before…Oh, well…" All sorts of data files start appearing on the main screen. Finally, the file she's looking for appears. "This is it! Research Project Shadow, the Ultimate Life Form. Let's see now…" Suddenly, a large red warning sign appears in front of all of the files on screen. "What in the world is this? This can't be right! Just what is Shadow, anyway?" A new file appears on screen, live recorded security footage revealing Knuckles searching the surface of the colony for his lost pieces of the emerald. Rouge is forced to put her mind on other things. "Hmm…I guess I'll just take the last pieces of the Master Emerald!" She turns and runs off.


	7. Part 7: EGGMAN

…

Sonic, Amy, and Tails have made it into the colony. Knuckles doesn't appear to be with them. Sonic complains, "What's up with that knucklehead anyway!? Trying to take over the shuttle? I thought we were toast for sure!" He looks around. "So where did he go now?"

Tails answers, "Looks like he bailed."

Amy comments, "This place looks deserted! Dusty, too."

"This place was shut down 50 years ago, because of a terrible accident," Tails explains. "The first Bernoulli Spherical Space Colony, called, ARK. When it was operational, it was the most advanced research center of its kind. But looking at it now…"

"Now it's an abandoned ARK, wouldn't you say?"

Sonic interrupts, "There's not much time left before Eggman fires that weapon again. We've got to hurry! Let's find the cannon and destroy it!"

The others cheer, "Yeah!" Tails begins typing at the controls of his _Tornado_ mech, and the other two gather around. "Someone designed that weapon to be impenetrable from outside attacks." He pulls up a complicated diagram. "Its defense shields are super strong, so we have to find a way to destroy it from–"

Amy interrupts, pointing to an open container next to Tails' seat, "Isn't that a Chaos Emerald?" Sure enough, a sparkling yellow gem sits inside of the container.

Tails picks it up. "It looks like it, doesn't it? But in fact, it's a _fake_ one I created after researching the real Emerald! It has the same energy wavelength and other properties, but it's less powerful than the real one. It's designed to reverse the energy field inside the Chaos Emeralds, and blow up when it's placed in the Eclipse Cannon! It looks so real, even a machine can't tell the difference! I'll find the power supply, and destroy it. Sonic, you find the control room, okay?" He hands him the fake Emerald to sabotage the cannon with.

"So the plan is, we'll switch the Emeralds when the machine has stopped, right?"

Tails nods, and proceeds forward. Sonic runs the other way.

Amy cries out, "I hate you! You guys always leave me behind and have all the fun!" Nobody answers.

—–—

 **Outside Space Colony ARK**

 **Cannon countdown: 1 hour 26 minutes**

Knuckles strolls forward across a high metal structure above a large meteor floating near the ARK, holding an armful of Emerald shards. The meteor's molten core is exposed down below. He thinks, _"Well, here's about half of the shards I lost. The others must be around here somewhere…"_ He stops moving as he sees the figure of Rouge in front of him.

"Long time no see, treasure hunter. Did you find _my_ Emeralds?"

"Ha! That's a good one, _your_ Emerald. Talking to you is a waste of time."

"Very well. If that's how you want to play, I will take it from you!"

"You have the other shards of the Master Emerald. Give them to me!" He lunges in for a punch. She skillfully dives out of the way, and slides in for a kick. He leaps back out of the way, and latches onto a wall. He leaps off until he's above her, then dives straight down. She narrowly escapes with a hop backwards. Again and again, each treasure hunter attacks the other, but neither can seem to land a solid hit.

Finally, the two stand face-to-face on an extremely narrow beam hanging above the molten pit below. Both pant heavily, but neither makes a move. Suddenly, they each take a single step forward, and both demand at the same time, "Stop fooling around and give me back _my_ Emeralds!"

Rouge is the first to object, "What are you babbling about? You call yourself a hunter? Attacking a lady? Shame on you!"

"What kind of lady goes around stealing gems, anyway?"

Momentarily unable to come up with a response, Rouge begins another move forward. "Those belong to m–" One of her feet slips off the narrow beam, and she begins tumbling downwards. "Ahh!" She closes her eyes, knowing what lies below. But her fall is cut short. She reluctantly opens her eyes to see Knuckles, gripping the beam with one hand, and her arm with the other. "Hmm?"

He pulls himself back up first, and then helps her up. They look into each other's eyes for a long moment. Suddenly, she rips her hand away. "Keep your hands to yourself! Don't touch me!"

"Is that how you say thanks to someone who just saved your life?"

"Saving my life? Don't think I owe you one! You just wanted to hold my hand, didn't you? That's why you saved me! You're such a creep!"

"This isn't a joke, you know!" She doesn't respond. "Think what you want, bat girl! I was saving the Master Emerald."

"No matter what you say, it sounds crazy!" She starts tossing a large number of Emerald shards towards his feet.

"Wha…?"

"Fine, then just take them. They stink like Echidnas do."

"If that's what you thought, you should've given me them in the first place!" The shards of the Emerald begin to glow as Knuckles puts them all back together. The glowing grows brighter and brighter, until, in one especially bright flash, all of the shards merge together into one, massive Master Emerald. Knuckles carefully feels all around the sides of his Emerald, checking for any missing pieces. He finds none. "Finally!"

Rouge turns her head the other way. "What?"

Knuckles turns back to her. "I'm…sorry…if I hurt you." He immediately turns and runs off, leaving Rouge alone.

Slightly irritated by his sudden departure, she looks up and mutters, " _We_ should get going…" She starts to leave, but stops and turns back to where Knuckles was standing. She gives a slight grin, then turns back and runs off.

—–—

 **In the pyramid**

 **Cannon countdown: 58 minutes**

From inside his base, Eggman watches security feed from the ARK. Sonic and Tails are making their way towards the control room. They are relatively unopposed. "What's Rouge up to, anyway?" He pulls up a new file, a detailed scan of the ARK's entire interior. There are two blips on the map right next to each other, as well as six more in the control room. Each one has a diagram of an emerald pointing towards it. "This is strange…" He eliminates the six from the control room, focusing on the other two. "It's showing energy readings from _two_ separate Chaos Emeralds." Shadow stands silently behind him. Even this information doesn't seem to interest him very much. "Did they really think they could trick me with a _fake_ Emerald?"

Shadow turns and starts walking out. But Eggman stops him after a moment. "Wait, Shadow. I'm the one who should be telling them the end is near, not you! Now is the time to end this long, drawn out battle, and mark myself a place in history as the ultimate genius!" He climbs into his mech, and starts moving for the center of the room. "If something happens to me, I'm counting on you to finish the job!." He stops in the middle of the room. "Hurry! The moment for attack has come! It's now or never!" With the press of a button, the pad beneath Eggman begins to cloak him in a purple light. The light grows more and more solid until conceals him entirely. As the light fades away, it is clear that he has been teleported away within it.

—–—

Amy stands alone in a large, windowed room of the ARK. She's clearly been left behind again. "Darn! Why do they always leave a sweet, little innocent girl like me alone?"

Her complaints are interrupted by Eggman, who has just been teleported into the room. "Well, well, young lady. Is there something I can help you with?" He pulls out a laser gun, and points it at her.

"Dr. Eggman!?"

"If you value your life, you will tell me where Sonic and Tails are!"

—–—

 **Inside Space Colony ARK**

 **Cannon countdown: 45 minutes**

Sonic walks into the large room containing the controls to the Eclipse Cannon. He holds the fake yellow gem in one hand, and his radio in the other. Tails says over the radio, "Okay, Sonic. Now put that Emerald–" Tails stops short as something happens on his end.

Another, more menacing voice shouts into the radio, "Tails, tell Sonic to meet you back at the research facility! Now–"

"Sonic, Amy is–" The transmission stops.

Sonic starts frantically shouting back, "Wha!? I didn't get that, Tails! What happened to Amy?"

Unable to get a response, he dashes out at top speed. After a moment of rushing, Eggman's voice comes up on the ARK's PA system. He starts with an evil laugh, then demands, "Sonic, come here if you want to see her alive!" Sonic picks up even more speed.

—–—

 **ARK: Research lab**

 **Cannon countdown: 33 minutes**

Tails and Eggman glare at each other from across the room. Eggman still points his weapon at Amy, standing by the feet of his mech. But they all turn as the door to the room opens with a hiss. Now Sonic glares at Eggman with pure disgust. He slowly steps in.

Eggman pushes the weapon closer to Amy' head, and begins, "Let's take care of business first, shall we Sonic? Hand over the Chaos Emerald, slowly, and then we'll talk about your girlfriend. That is, _if_ you really care for her."

Sonic pulls out a yellow Emerald. He thinks, _"Handing over the fake Emerald, I can kill two birds with one stone."_ He looks up to Tails, who gives him just a slight nod.

"Put the Emerald down right there, and back off!" Again, he pushes the weapon closer to Amy to emphasize his point.

Ignoring the order, Sonic begins slowly walking forward. "You've turned into a big-time villain, Doctor!" He stops in the middle of the room, on a white panel, when Eggman doesn't react to his movement. There's something that might be familiar about this wide room, with wide windows viewing the planet below.

Eggman smirks, and chuckles at the thought of where Sonic has just stopped. He pushes a button on a computer console, and a glass wall collapses around Sonic. Sonic is completely surprised, stepping back and letting out a "Whoa!"

Eggman looks at Tails for a moment, then back to Sonic, who still holds a yellow Emerald. _One_ of the yellow Emeralds. A plan comes to his mind quickly. "You thought you could trick me with that fake Emerald, didn't you?"

Tails immediately demands, "So how did you know it wasn't the real one!?"

With horror, Sonic realizes what just happened. " _Tails!_ "

Eggman laughs deviously. "Because you just told me, fox boy!" Tails takes on an expression which includes some combination of being surprised, terrified, and impressed. But he says nothing. "Now, for a little space ride! The capsule clears the colony, _bam!_ "

Tails' expression becomes ever more horrified. Sonic shouts from the inside of the pod, "I'm counting on you, Tails! And Amy…take care of yourself!" He braces himself for a launch.

"Farewell, Sonic the Hedgehog!" With the press of another button, the capsule fires out of the room, and the open hatch closes behind it, blocking it from view.

Amy cries, "Sonic!"

—–—

Sonic frantically looks around, for some way to control the pod. But all there is is himself, and the fake Chaos Emerald. He picks up the Emerald, and begins to think back. _The Emerald begins to vibrate in Shadow's outstretched hand, and becomes cloaked in a harsh blue light. The light shimmers, shines, and pulsates, lighting up the entire square as if it were daytime. Finally, the light condenses into a single, blinding green point around his hand. In an instant, the light, the Emerald, and its holder are warped away._ His thoughts move on to the Emerald itself. _"It has the same energy wavelength and other properties, but it's less powerful than the real one."_ "The same wavelength…and properties…" He looks straight into the Emerald. "But…can I do this?"

—–—

Shadow the Hedgehog watches the escape pod fall to the planet from another room. The pod first becomes cloaked in fire as it enters the atmosphere, and then detonates. "I guess he was just a regular hedgehog, after all."

—–—

Tails, Eggman, and Amy watch the same detonation out of the room's wide windows. Eggman seems slightly irritated by the sudden explosion, but not particularly fazed. "Farewell, Sonic…my admirable adversary."

Amy cries again, with more anguish than ever, _"Sonic!"_ She breaks into sobs.

Eggman turns and points the weapon right back at Amy. "Now we have some unfinished business to take care of! If you give me the real Emerald, I will release you both." He continues, somewhat sarcastically.. "You have my _promise_."

Tails still looks downwards in shame. "Sonic…" He starts to look up. "Sonic has asked me for the first time…to do something for him." He takes on a look of renewed determination. "I won't let him down. I won't give up!"

Eggman seems just as amused as last time. "You're no match for me, you weak little fox!"

"What have you done to Sonic!? I'll never forgive you for this!" This time, Tails launches the first missile, taking Eggman by surprise. Amy runs off to the side of the room.


	8. Part 8: For True Story

…

 **Outside Space Colony ARK**

 **Cannon countdown: 21 minutes 7 seconds**

Knuckles strolls back into the ARK, deep in thought. Suddenly, he stops and clutches his head. He shivers slightly. "I feel some…strange energy…" He looks around for the source of the energy, and for several moments finds nothing. But then, the room becomes filled with a blinding glow, which pulsates as it grows brighter. As the light fades, the collapsed figure of Sonic the Hedgehog is revealed lying on the floor. "Hey, Sonic!" He runs over to help him up.

Sonic struggles back onto his feet. "Whoa…I wasn't sure if I could pull that one off. Somehow, I managed to use the Chaos Control…"

"Chaos Control?" Sonic gives him a look inferring, "No time to explain." Nodding, Knuckles instead asks, "Are you okay?"

Sonic thinks for a moment. He seems to be coming back to his senses. "I'm worried about Tails and Amy!" He starts slowly stepping forward. "I hate to ask, but could you help them? This is our last chance!" He picks up into a deliberate walk, and pulls out the fake Emerald. "I have something else I need to take care of. Before the cannon fires, I'll slam-dunk it in there!" He takes off into a full-speed run. Knuckles holds out a hand as if to stop him, still hoping for an explanation. But Sonic is already gone.

—–—

Rouge stands alone in the Eclipse Cannon control room, with six Chaos Emeralds arrayed in slots on the machine in front of her. "Legend has it, when all seven Chaos Emeralds are collected, the power creates a miracle. I have six of them! They're mine, all mine!"

"I don't' think so!" Shadow walks in from behind her.

"Shadow…!"

"So that was your plan from the very beginning…or was it a direct order from the President!? Now I know who you are! You're that government spy, Rouge the Bat, aren't you!?"

Rouge looks at him for a moment, but then responds with a witty, "So you did your homework, is that it? I would say that's an invasion of privacy."

"I can say the same thing about you."

Rouge seems surprised at first, but then shrugs and pulls out what appears to be some sort of official report, with a "confidential" stamp on it. "Hmph! It looks like things aren't quite going your way. But since my job is done, I thought it was time to take what's mine and get out of this place." She looks back to the Chaos Emeralds.

Shadow scoffs at her treachery, "You are one pathetic creature!"

"Hmm, look who's talking." She starts looking over her report. It shows a picture of a large, lizard-like creature. She starts to fly down towards him as she does. "Here are the results of the research project called 'The Ultimate Life Form.'" She lands face-to-face with him, and flaunts the paper in his face. "But, if this picture is of the real Ultimate Life Form, named 'Shadow'…then exactly who or what is standing in front of me?" She puts the paper away, and for several long moments they stare straight at each other.

Suddenly, their silence is broken by Eggman's voice over both of their radios. "This is Doctor Eggman! I will have all seven Chaos Emeralds momentarily! But Shadow, someone is trying to get to the Eclipse Cannon. There's not much time left before the cannon fires again! Are you able to intercept?" Shadow puts away the radio and turns back to Rouge. "If you want to live, leave the Chaos Emeralds where they are!" He turns to run off, but is immediately stopped.

"Do you actually believe that you're the real Shadow?"

"…No doubt."

"Even your memories might not be real, you know?"

"…Even if my memories are not real…it's still me, Shadow… And I will fulfill my promise to Maria, that's the only thing that matters to me now." He promptly leaves, for good this time.

—–—

 **Outside Space Colony ARK**

 **Cannon countdown: 5 minutes 44 seconds**

Shadow runs along a long platform, which seems to stretch on endlessly. He skids to halt as he sees an impossible sight. Sonic the Hedgehog stands before him, looking onwards. Shadow calls out, "You never cease to surprise me, blue hedgehog." He casually walks right on past Sonic, and indicates for him to follow. They both walk slowly along the platform. "I thought that capsule you were in exploded in space."

"You know, what can I say? I die hard!" He pulls out his fake Emerald. "You actually saved me, you know."

Clearly, Shadow has been filled in on what happened. "It _was_ a Chaos Emerald, wasn't it?" But then he takes a moment to think. _"The feeling I get from that Emerald…it isn't normal. No, it's definitely not real. But…"_ "But there's no way you could have activated the Chaos Control using an Emerald that's fake." He speaks in a tone which sounds almost hostile. He picks up speed to a slow run, and Sonic does the same. Sonic gives him a look as if to say, "Oh really? Then how am I here?" Shadow continues, "So there's more to you than just looking like me. What are you, anyway!?"

"What you see is what you get! Just a guy that loves adventure!" They pick up even more speed. "I'm Sonic the Hedgehog!"

"I see… But you know, I can't let you live." They break into a top-speed run. "Your adventuring days are coming to an end!"

Sonic responds in a deep, almost menacing voice, "Alright, Shadow! Time for me to finish this!"

"Before this is over, I'll show you the _true_ power of Chaos Control!" Sonic moves in to strike Shadow from the side, attempting to knock him off the side of the platform. Shadow pushes back just as hard, forcing them both back into separate lanes.

Sonic tries to pick up even more speed. _"I don't have to beat him, which is good if this goes anything like last time. I just have to outrun him, and that's what I do best!"_ He starts to gain considerable ground.

From behind him, Shadow shouts, "This is the ultimate Power! Chaos Control!" Sonic finds himself suddenly being attacked from above, left with barely enough time to block the blow with his shoulder. He trips up, but still manages to keep running. Shadow now has the lead. He looks back at Sonic and gives a smirk. "Time to put _this_ to the test!" He lifts his hand as it starts to glow gold. "Chaos Spear!" He hurls the light back at Sonic, who barely manages to sidestep out of the way.

Not wanting to stay behind after that display, Sonic pulls out his Emerald. _"I got it…"_ "I'll use your technique! Chaos Control!" Shadow, taken by surprise, takes the full force of Sonic's warp-attack, but still manages to keep running, only slightly behind Sonic. He quickly catches up. Both seem to be growing tired.

Simultaneously, each of them jump in an attempt to strike the other from the air. They bounce off of each other, but then try to strike again, bouncing even higher. Over and over again, they clash at blinding speed, each hoping for the other to tire. Finally, Sonic sees his chance, as Shadow takes just an extra moment to recover. But a moment is all he needs. Sonic's spin attack nails Shadow right in the chest. Shadow is sent flying, and collides with one of the many stray meteors floating around the ARK. He lands in a heap at Sonic's feet.

"Game over, Shadow!" Still racing the clock, Sonic runs off towards his goal.

Reaching after him in vain, Shadow mutters out, "Impossible…I am the Ultimate Life Form…" As Sonic disappears in the distance, he thinks, _"That hedgehog…he isn't normal. I'm sure of it. So what is it about him…that allows him to fight me…to fight like me? Could it be…what the professor told me about?"_

—–—

 **ARK: Outside the research lab**

 **Cannon countdown: 1 minute 42 seconds**

Sonic runs just outside of the ARK. _"I've gotta find a way inside from here. I'm almost out of time! I won't make it at this rate!"_ He skids to a stop as he sees the wide-windowed research lab through a window. He leaps forward and grabs onto a low-hanging wire to get a better view. Inside, Eggman lies defeated at Tails' feet. Tails and Amy are cheering. But Tails' Chaos Emerald lies on the floor, dropped at some point during their battle. And Eggman reaches for it. Thinking fast, Sonic pulls out his own fake Emerald of the same color. _"Let's give this a try…"_ "Chaos Control!"

—–—

 **Several minutes earlier**

Eggman hits a button on his mech. "Alright, no more games! You're no match!" Eggman unleashes a massive blue laser, which grazes the side of Tails' mech as he tries to get out of the way, severely damaging it.

Wasting no time, Tails unleashes a volley of missiles at Eggman's mech, still immobilized by its own attack, inflicting serious damage of his own. But as Eggman's mech becomes freed, Eggman unleashes a flurry of missiles of his own, and perhaps dozens of these missiles begin to collide in midair, filling the entire room with small, blinding explosions.

Unfazed, Tails declares, "I'll show you how powerful I am! Fire!" From a new arsenal in the back of the mech, a horde of rockets are fired straight up into the air, out of Eggman's firing range, and begin to rain down on him. He manages to avoid most of them, but one rocket lands straight onto his control console and detonates in his face. Tails relentlessly continues with another, "Fire!" He unleashes a massive laser of his own, impacting Eggman through the smoke and shredding his mech to pieces.

When the light and the smoke clear, Eggman lies defeated on the ground. "No…I can't lose…to Tails!"

Tails and Amy cheer, as Eggman lies defeated at Tails' feet. Tails takes out his radio and starts, "Sonic, I…" He trails off. Somberly, he finishes, "I did it…" Amy too becomes saddened. Suddenly, Eggman laughs and runs out of the room. There is no Chaos Emerald in sight. But the two are too upset to stop him. Until Tails' radio begins beeping.

Tails immediately perks up and answers it. Sonic's voice sounds, "Awesome job, Tails!"

Tails is overjoyed. "Sonic!" Amy also gets excited.

Sonic continues, "Look outside!" Tails and Amy run up to the window. Sonic hangs from his wire just outside.

He waves, and then gives a thumbs-up, with a great grin on his face. Then he points behind him. To the deploying Eclipse Cannon.

—–—

 **ARK: Central control room**

 **Cannon countdown: 40 seconds**

Eggman frantically sprints up to the control panel of the Eclipse Cannon, proudly displaying the Emerald he stole. He can't help but let out an evil laugh. "Hahahahahaha! This completes my plan to take over the world! Now begins the glorious era…" He tosses the Emerald into the empty slot on the panel. The machine begins to pulsate and glow. "…of the Empire of Eggman!" He lets out one final evil laugh. "Hahahahaha!" All of the holographic screens in the room light up with a big red "Warning" label. But Eggman hardly notices.

—–—

Outside, the Cannon begins to deploy. Just as last time, the tip parts to form four separate structures, revealing the glowing energy inside. But then, an unusual white light forms in the middle, which grows into a fiery explosion, causing a chain reaction all the way up the length of the cannon. The glowing energy fades away. Then the ARK starts to descend towards the planet.


	9. Part 9: Supporting Me

…

Warning sirens wail in the control room. Eggman demands angrily, "Argh! What the–! What's going on!? Why did the cannon explode? And why is the ARK falling!?" He frantically pulls up files on the control panel searching for an answer. _"The ARK shouldn't be falling! What's going on?"_ Suddenly, a file opens on its own. "What!? What's happening here?" It's a low-quality video file. It shows an old looking man with a long silver mustache, chained to a chair. The wall behind him is filled with complex mathematical equations. "It's…it's my grandfather, Gerald Robotnik!" Professor Gerald prepares to speak.

—–—

Sonic and Knuckles run into the research lab. Sonic appears to be explaining, "So, I managed to switch the real Emerald with the fake one using Chaos Control. Eggman stole the fake Emerald!" Tails and Amy are thrilled to see them, but their reunion is interrupted by a violent tremor.

Knuckles asks, almost like a demand, "What's that…that vibration!?"

As the tremor continues, a door can be heard opening. Sonic whispers, despite the noise, "Hey, wait! Someone's coming!"

Rouge swoops down in front of them. The shaking finally stops. Knuckles shouts, "You! You haven't given up yet?"

Rouge doesn't seem interested in a fight. "It's all over for us…"

"What do you mean?"

"I've just received a message…from my boss. This space colony ARK is currently approaching the Earth at an incredible velocity. It…it will probably impact Earth." Suddenly, she gasps and points behind them. Professor Gerald Robotnik has appeared on a screen above the control console.

Knuckles inquires, "What's that on the screen?" Professor Gerald prepares to speak.

—–—

The same video has appeared on every screen on the planet, just as Eggman's message did. Citizens gather in large city squares to watch. The professor on the screen finally speaks, "This is a death sentence for every human being on Earth. If my calculations are correct, the space colony ARK will impact the Earth in 27 minutes, and 53 seconds." People of all races, cultures, and walks of life are horrified by the speech. Some point to the sky, able to see descending fireball in the distance. "All of you will be destroyed, along with your beloved planet Earth."

—–—

The ARK begins to lose chunks of its outside crust as the flame around it glows even brighter. From inside, Sonic and friends watch the message as well. "I plan to give you a taste of my revenge once all the seven Chaos Emeralds are collected. Once I initiate this program, it cannot be disabled. All of you ungrateful humans who took everything away from me will feel my loss and despair!"

Another voice in the video demands, "Is there anything else you want to say?"

"No…"

The other voice now commands to others in the room, "Ready–" the video cuts out and starts over.

Amy finally asks, "What's going on here? Who is that?" The video continues, "This is a death sentence for every human being…" The ARK starts shaking again.

Knuckles shouts, "Hey, the vibration is getting worse!" "All of you will be destroyed…"

"Professor Gerald Robotnik…" Eggman is already explaining as he walks into the room. "…one of the greatest scientific minds in the world, and my grandfather." "I plan to give you a taste of my revenge…"

Again, Knuckles shouts, "What!? I knew you were behind all this! Stop it right now, or else–"

"I'd have done this a long time ago if I'd had the chance!"

Sonic steps forward. "What do you mean?"

Eggman, just now learning of Sonic's survival, changes the subject. "You're pretty persistent for a hedgehog, aren't you!? You're still alive, huh?"

"Ha! Just letting Knuckles pilot the shuttle on the way over here was more dangerous than you could ever be!"

Eggman ignores the joke, and pulls out a small memory disc. Rouge asks, "What's this?"

Eggman hands it to her. " _This_ is my grandfather's diary."

She walks it over to the console and places it in. Words come up on the screen, and she begins reading. "I don't know quite what happened, or what went wrong. Was it a mistake to create the Ultimate Life Form? I thought it would be something that would benefit mankind. But then the military guards landed on the colony that day. They were sent to destroy the research project that I had been working on. My colleagues at the research facility…my granddaughter, Maria. I hope you are all safe." The professor's voice can almost be heard reading the mournful lines. "The colony was completely shut down, probably to keep the prototype from falling into the wrong hands. The ARK was shut down under the premise that there had been an 'accident'. …I found Maria's name among those who died when the ARK was shut down. She meant everything to me, and I couldn't bear the thought that she died because of my research. I lost everything. I had nothing more to live for…I went insane. All I could think about was to avenge her…somehow, some way. I got scared as I no longer was able to control my thoughts. All I could think about was that I wanted it all to end. Based on my original projections, I was able to complete my project, Shadow. I designed its mind to be perfect, pure. I will leave everything to him. If you wish, release and awaken it, to the world." Rouge finishes, "If you wish to fill the world with destruction…" She turns to face Eggman. "Oh, so _that's_ why you released Shadow from the base!"

"The energy of the Chaos Emeralds is being used to create an overload in the Eclipse Cannon, making it highly unstable and explosive. If the colony collides with Earth, the planet will shatter into pieces, like my grandfather predicted." He finishes with some pride, "That mad scientist!"

Amy asks, somewhat sarcastically "You wish that was you, right?"

Tails steps forward. "We have to stop the space colony, now!"

Now Eggman steps up. "The space colony ARK's position may have shifted due to the amount of energy given off by the Emeralds. We have to stop the energy!"

"But…how?"

Rouge ponders for a moment. "Hmmm… That's it! There is a way to stop the energy!" She turns to Knuckles. "We have to use _your_ Emerald! You're the one that told me that the Master Emerald has the power to stop the Chaos Emeralds!"

Knuckles thinks about that for a moment. He recalls saying, _"The Master Emerald contains special powers that neutralize the energy of the Chaos Emeralds. That makes it very powerful!"_ He pulls out the Emerald, which he has somehow shrunken. "That's right. If I use this, I just might be able to stop the Chaos Emeralds!"

Tails pulls up an internal schematic of the ARK on the screen. He points to an area near the center, where the cannon lies. "The reaction of the Chaos Emeralds is moving towards the Cannon's Core! It may be too late!"

Eggman pushes them aside and starts working on the console. "There may be some time left, if we pull together. We might be able to get to the shortcut that leads to the core." A pathway appears on the screen. The screen zooms in on that pathway, showing a more detailed diagram of its various rooms and hallways.

Sonic takes only a brief look. "No worries! Just leave it to me! I'm the world's fastest hedgehog!"

"Then let's get to work!" The group huddles around closer. "So here's the plan…"

—–—

Tails, riding his _Tornado_ mech, lands in a narrow room. He goes over his part in the plan in his mind. _"This shortcut is extremely dangerous, intended for only the most dire of emergencies. So there are two security locks on either side of the ARK, preventing access. Those locks must be destroyed before we can accomplish anything else. Tails, you take the one in the northeast quadrant. I'll handle the southwest one."_ Tails blasts open a locked door in front of him. He's stopped on the other side by a heavily-armored security robot. Tails aims a Homing Missile around its defenses, destroying it. Eggman shouts over the radio, "Alright, Tails! Now destroy the security lock so we can get into the Cannon's Core." After blasting through another horde of robots and another door, he makes it into a square room with a raised platform in the back. "Okay, Tails! There should be a security lock somewhere in that room! You need to destroy it!" Dodging around a security laser, he makes it up the platform. A large black machine lies at the back of the room. Tails unloads a volley of missiles into it, destroying it completely.

—–—

Eggman lands in a narrow room, riding his own mech. "All right! Now it's my turn!" He is immediately faced with three of the armored robots from before. He destroys them one by one, and moves on. After blasting through many more robots, he eventually comes to a similar square room, this one filled ankle-deep with some sort of acid. Tails comes in over the radio, "Great, Eggman! There should be a security lock somewhere in that room!" Eggman begins the process of hopping between machines floating in the acid to make it to the other side of the room. He finally does, and unloads a volley of missiles into the black device in the back.

—–—

Rouge lands in a large circular room, considering her own place in the plan. _"Since the ARK was was shut down, the core has become flooded with liquid. However, there should be an emergency switch somewhere in the dome, here, which can drain the liquid out of the core. Rouge, it will be your job to find that switch!"_ She gets to work. She quickly come across a large button, sealed in some sort of cage. She thinks, _"Looks like I've gotta find a way to unlock this cage first."_ She proceeds in the other direction. Along the way, she encounters nearly as many security robots as Tails and Eggman, but eventually comes across a smaller switch. Hitting it does nothing apparent, but Eggman, monitoring from afar, shouts through the radio, "Hurry, hit the switch and drain the liquid!" She rushes back to the entrance, where the main switch lies, and hits it from above. A door opens, and the liquid starts to drain.

—–—

Knuckles lands in the same room which Rouge was in moments ago. He thinks over his own part in the plan. _"Once the locks are destroyed and the liquid is drained, we should be able to reach the security door to the core. Knuckles, it should be right in front of you when you reach the dome. But you'll need to find the switch that opens it!"_ He continues into the hallway through the door which the liquid drained out of after Rouge opened it. Eggman shouts at him over the radio, "Knuckles! I found the switch on radar! The security door control switch is accessible from the pathway in front of you." Knuckles runs forward into it. He arrives in a room heavily guarded by robots. But the switch can be seen behind them. Knuckles smirks as he gets to work crushing the robots.

—–—

Sonic rushes through the security door as it opens. Sirens wail, warning of the breached security. His part in the plan is simple. _"There's a massive energy disturbance near the core. You will have to be very careful clearing it. But from there, you're free to run straight to the core. Knuckles will catch up with you. You're our last chance. We're depending on you!"_ Sonic arrives at a room full of robots, with electricity crackling and arcing between walls and machinery. One by one, Sonic strikes the robots from the air, and continues out of the room, remembering to hit a switch on the way out. Eggman comes in on the radio, "Sonic! You've cleared the electrical disturbance. It's all up to you now!" Sonic comes to the end of the long, narrow tube he had been running through, revealing a wide, steeply declined channel, with the drained liquid flowing down it at high velocity. Without hesitation, Sonic dives in and begins sliding down towards the Cannon's Core.

—–—

 **ARK: Abandoned research lab**

 **Colony impact: 19 minutes 50 seconds**

Amy storms angrily through the lab. "Oh, I hate it when they leave me behind!" She stops suddenly as she realizes that she is no longer alone. "Look, it's Shadow!" She turns back the other way and starts thinking. "I've really gotta stop whining… Everyone is trying their best to help…and so should I!" She runs back to the window, where Shadow stands. "Shadow, we need you! Please help us!"

Shadow keeps staring out the window. Finally, he speaks, never taking his eyes off of the planet below. "It's all going according to plan. There is no reason for me to help them. Besides…" he casually waves his hand through the air. "…there's no way to save anyone."

Amy won't accept this. "There has to be!" She takes another step forward. "I know that people fight over the most trivial things. Some people may be selfish, just like the professor said… But basically, on the inside, they're all good. If they try their best, and never give up on their wishes…they always have a reason to be happy. That's why you should help them, saving them is a good thing!" She adds with final emphasis, "Shadow, I beg you…please do it for them. Give them a chance!"

 _"Shadow, I beg of you…please do it for me…for a better future."_ Shadow's memories stab at him, sharper and clearer than ever. _He shouts in surprise, "Maria!" She continues, "For all the people…on that planet…give them a chance…to be happy. Let them live for their dreams. Shadow, I know you can do it." Solemnly, she presses another button, and the pod is launched away from the colony. "That's the reason why you were brought into this world. Sayonara…Shadow the Hedgehog."_ The memory ends.

Shadow tightly clenches a fist. " _That's_ what I've promised her…and I must keep that promise." A tear falls from his eye. " _That's_ what Maria wished for."

"Shadow?"

"I've got to go now! I have to keep my promise to Maria…and you." He sprints off towards the Cannon's Core.

—–—

 **ARK: In the core**

 **Colony impact: 15 minutes 27 seconds**

Sonic lands with a splash in the Cannon's Core. A strange, almost organic-looking machine pulsates on the ceiling of the room. Beneath it, a ruin-like structure made of stone supports the six Chaos Emeralds and one fake Emerald atop seven separate pillars, arranged in a circle around the main structure in the center. Knuckles lands right where Sonic did moments ago. They nod in acknowledgement of each other, and turn back to the ruin structure. Knuckles gasps as he observes the structure. "What's that? It looks just like the shrine of the Master Emerald!"

After thinking for a moment, Sonic responds, "They probably designed the core like the shrine to harness the power of the Chaos Emeralds." They look to each other and nod once more, then start running for the fake shrine.

They skid to a stop as they hear a voice they've come to associate with danger—Gerald Robotnik. A screen has appeared below the strange machine. "All of you ungrateful humans who took everything away from me will feel my loss and despair!"

The machine begins to pulse faster, filling the room with duplicates of the same clip. It begins releasing massive sparks of energy. "Knuckles, here it comes!" The machine begins to open, emitting a blinding light. The holographic screens all play slightly out of sync. "All-all of you-you ungrateful-grateful hu-humans who took ever-everything away-way from me-from me will feel-feel my loss-loss and despair-despair!"

The silhouetted figure of a massive lizard-like creature can be barely made out. Until it entirely reveals its gargantuan jaws in a mighty roar. It crashes to the ground, almost on top of Sonic and Knuckles. Now completely in normal light, its colors are primarily orange and black. It wears a large device on its back, which is attached to the sides of its mouth, as well as a few other parts of its body, by long green cables. Its eyes also seem to have been replaced by machines.

Knuckles is taken aback. "Could this be the prototype of the Ultimate Life Form that was supposed to be encapsulated?"

Another voice sounds from behind them, "Leave this one to me." Sonic turns back in shock at the appearance of Shadow. He keeps walking past them.

"Shadow, what're you doing?"

Shadow keeps walking until he is face-to-face with the lizard. They stare each other in the eye for several long moments. Finally Shadow turns back to face the others. "I'll handle this, while you run to take care of the Chaos Emeralds!" Sonic and Knuckles nod to each other once more, and head for the shrine. Shadow turns back to the lizard. He thinks, _"The Biolizard…the prototype of the Ultimate Life Form. Rouge's report was about you…because my creation wasn't documented like yours was. You may have been called 'Shadow' once…but now, you're just an ugly prototype!"_

The Biolizard roars, and swipes its massive tail at Shadow. Shadow leaps over the tail, and continues around to the creature's front. Though the lizard uses its mouth to attack, Shadow dodges, and uses its mouth cables as a stepping stool to leap up to above the device on its back. He strikes the device, cracking it, and causing the Biolizard to roar in anger. As Shadow lands, the lizard is already prepared to attack. It begins releasing from its mouth a series of orbs which appear to be made out of some sort of dark energy, and launches them at Shadow. Shadow rolls under the ones aimed higher, and leaps over the ones aimed lower, again making his way towards the cables on the Biolizard's head. Again, he leaps from the cable to attack the device on its back. It roars even louder.


	10. Part 10: Live and Learn

…

Sonic and Knuckles run up the last steps to the top of the shrine. In the center, strange symbols on an octagonal pedestal glow with a red light. Knuckles takes out the Master Emerald, and expands it to its natural size. He places it on the pedestal. He begins to chant, "The servers are…the seven Chaos. Chaos is power…power is enriched by the heart. The Controller is the one that unifies the Chaos." The Master Emerald lifts into the air, and begins to spin rapidly and glow brightly. "Only you can do this! Stop the Chaos Emeralds!" Blue electricity begins to arc wildly between the Master Emerald and the Chaos Emeralds around it, including the one that Sonic holds. As the energy impacts the fake Emerald on one of the pillars, it shatters to pieces.

The light of the Master Emerald grows even brighter, illuminating the large, dim room. As the light and energy fade, the Biolizard roars behind them, louder than ever. The two turn back to see. The Biolizard has released a swarm of tiny, floating red orbs all around itself. Shadow leaps from orb to orb, ascending towards the heavily damaged device on the creature's back. As Shadow makes it to his peak, he comes straight down to impact the device, crushing it to pieces. It lets out a painful shriek, raises its head, and begins to glow. It roars once more, then disappears entirely.

Knuckles shields his eyes from the light. "Is it…gone?"

Shadow leaps up the last few steps, and demands to Sonic, "Is that…Chaos Control!?"

The ARK begins to shake violently. Knuckles yells, "Since we've stopped the Chaos Emeralds, why is the space colony still on a crash course to Earth!?"

The three suddenly turn upwards as Eggman's voice comes in over the PA system. The voice echoes, "The prototype is still alive, and he's controlling the space colony as it's falling to Earth! He's become one with the space colony, and is determined to keep it on its collision course!"

They all stand gaping for a moment. The Knuckles yells assertively, "Sonic!"

Sonic looks around him to the six Chaos Emeralds which lie on the pillars, then to his own seventh Emerald. Then he looks to Shadow, who nods back, clearly thinking the same thing. Knuckles at first looks questioningly between the two, but then gasps as he realizes what they're thinking. Sonic waves Knuckles to stand back.

Sonic and Shadow then step to the center of the shrine, on either side of the Master Emerald. They each lift a hand into the air. The Chaos Emeralds lift from their pillars, and begin to slowly rotate around their hands. Sonic's Emerald joins them a moment later. The circle of Emeralds rotate faster as they move inwards towards the hedgehogs. They retract their outstretched hands into fists and close their eyes, as the Emeralds rotate even faster, now within close reach. The Emeralds move at an almost blinding speed, and their lights grow brighter and sparkle around the hedgehogs. They open their eyes as they, too, lift into the air. Their fur begins to reflect the light of the Emeralds, which can now hardly be seen by their extreme velocity. Their fur itself begins to emit a brilliant golden light, transforming. The light from their fur and the Emeralds grows so bright that it conceals them as the final transformation takes place. As the light releases, the fur of the two hedgehogs appears to be almost made of gold. Sonic's eyes have turned red, and the spikes of each of their heads stand upwards, as if lifted by an unseen force. They both still float in the air.

Shadow looks at his own arms in wonder. Then he and Sonic look to each other, nod, and soar out of the room.

—–—

 **Outside space colony ARK**

 **Colony impact: 5 minutes 7 seconds**

Sonic and Shadow float above the Earth, as the space colony hurtles towards them, cloaked in flame. The Biolizard appears to be attached to the point of the Eclipse Cannon. Sonic turns to Shadow. "If we want to stop the ARK, we've gotta defeat that lizard. But the Emeralds won't be able to maintain both of our Super Forms fighting for very long. While one of us is out here fighting, the other should be in the ARK, gathering energy." Shadow nods, and streaks back into the ARK at blinding speed. Sonic turns back to the Biolizard, the Final Hazard. It roars in challenge. Sonic charges at it.

Eggman's voice comes in over the radio. "Can you hear me Sonic, Shadow? He's very weak without his life support system. Aim for the red swelling area to damage him! You're our last hope!"

Rouge pipes in, "Everyone here is rooting for you! Good luck, and give him trouble!" Sonic nods and looks to the lizard. Just as Eggman said, there is a large swollen red area on the creature's back. The lizard releases a massive beam of energy from its mouth, which Sonic carefully jinks around. Once he gets close enough to the beast, he dashes straight into its swollen spot. It shrieks in pain.

Shadow shouts as he flies back out of the ARK, "He's still very powerful! What kind of monster is this? How are you doing, Sonic?" Sonic nods to him as he goes back into the ARK. "Sonic, leave it to me! I'll destroy it!" A new swollen spot has appeared on the Biolizard's body. Shadow starts his dash towards the Biolizard. It releases another beam of energy from its mouth, as well as two more from mechanical parts on its body. Despite his best efforts, Shadow is struck by one of them, and sent flying back.

Over the radio, Sonic marvels, "Where does he get all that power? Is this the power of the Chaos Emeralds? Are you okay, Shadow?" Shadow shakes it off and resumes his attempt to attack. He is successful this time, and it cries another shriek. Sonic comes back out of the ARK.

Shadow shouts as he makes his return, "I need to gather more energy! Now it's up to you, Sonic!"

"Shadow, you need rest. Let me give it a try!"

As soon as Sonic starts moving, Knuckles comes in over the radio. "Sonic, we're in danger! The colony will enter the atmosphere in about four minutes!"

Eggman stresses, "Hurry!" Sonic continues with renewed speed. He dodges around all three energy beams, and gets in close.

The Biolizard releases the same red orbs from before, which move as if to home in on and attack him. He dodges around these as well, and strikes the newest weak spot. "Yeah! Take that, you creep! Shadow, are you ready? We're almost done!"

Shadow comes back out to switch places with Sonic. "Here I come, you creep!"

This time, Amy speaks. "Can you both hear me? The ARK is close to the Earth! Please hurry up!" Prepared this time, Shadow effortlessly moves out of the way of the Biolizard's attacks.

Sonic marvels from inside, "Shadow, I understand. You're unstoppable. Let's destroy this creature now! Everyone is waiting for us back on Earth!"

But Shadow hardly seems to be listening. "Maria…watch me. I will fulfil your wish!" He powers straight through the red orbs, and strikes the final weak spot, right where its life support system used to be. It lets out its loudest cry yet, as its many mechanical parts begin to malfunction and detonate. Its body goes limp.

Sonic flies back out. The two of them clasp hands in the highest respect. Then Shadow turns back to the still-falling ARK. "I must end the evil the professor has made."

Sonic, shocked at him, shouts, "Shadow, at this rate your Super Form won't last! Get back to the colony!" Shadow simply shakes his head. The flames around the ARK grow greatly as it enters the lower atmosphere. Sonic nods in understanding, and they both fly head-on towards the ARK. "No way that's getting through!"

A voice echoes in Shadow's head. _"Shadow…I beg of you…"_ "Maria!" _"…give them a chance…to be happy."_ Shadow realizes what he must do. He takes the rings around his wrists and ankles, and unclasps them. Another memory comes to him, this time of the then-sane professor. _"Those are your Inhibitor Rings. Your body processes an incredible amount of energy, which the Rings allow you to contain. If you were to take them off, you would become unbelievably powerful. But you would die without that energy."_ Three Inhibitor Rings fall to Earth.

Sonic hardly seemed to notice, focusing on the ARK, which now looms extremely close. "Now, Shadow!" An orb of light forms in Shadow's outstretched hand. Sonic adds his own hand to the orb, and it grows in size. At once, the two hedgehogs shout, "Chaos Control!" The orb of light expands exponentially in size, encompassing the entire ARK in under a second. The light turns to a bright blue, and pulsates arounds the ARK, before being completely absorbing the ARK and collapsing in on itself.

Shadow's golden light fades, and he begins to fall. _"Maria…this is what you wanted, right? This is my promise I made to you…"_ He shrinks out of sight.

Sonic looks to Shadow as he falls, but then notices his own light fading. After one last glance, he grudgingly returns to the ARK, which has reappeared high in the night sky.

—–—

Over and over again, around the world, people can be seen watching in celebration as the ARK reappears.

—–—

Sonic steps into the research lab of the ARK. Everyone looks past him, hoping to celebrate the true hero of the day. But no one else comes. Finally, Rouge breaks the silence. "Where…where is Shadow?" Sonic looks down and shakes his head. But then he pulls out something, and places it in her hands. She examines it. It's one of Shadow's inhibitor rings, which Sonic must have grabbed as it fell. He walks up to a window, and she follows him. "Do you really think…that the professor created him, Shadow, to carry out the revenge on all those who live here on Earth?"

Sonic focuses on the spot of the planet where Shadow must have landed. "He was what he was. A brave and heroic hedgehog. He gave his life to save this planet. Shadow the Hedgehog…"

"I guess you're right…"

By another window, Eggman speaks to Tails. "As a child, I looked up to my grandfather, because of all the great things he accomplished in his life. He was my hero, and I wanted to be a great scientist, like him. But…did he really mean to destroy us?"

Tails seems just a little bit uncomfortable with the subject, so he changes it. "I don't know. But what I do know is…we all did it, together!" He thinks for another moment. "If your grandfather really was that way…that just means that you're better than him. That you've surpassed him."

"You're right."

Rouge has moved over to another window, where Knuckles stands alone. He looks over at her as she approaches. "So what's next for you, Rouge? Off again to find those jewels you love so much?"

"Nah, I think I'm gonna give up this line of work. Too much work, for too little pay." She stares out the window for a few moments, to where Shadow used to be. "Anyway…I've got something better than jewels that I'm thinking about right now." She pauses again. "It'll all work out, you'll see."

"If you say so."

Sonic now stands alone. "I can't believe it…the Ultimate Life Form…" He hangs his head in shame.

Amy comes up from behind him. "What's the matter, Sonic?"

He turns up to her, then to the planet, then back to her. "Oh, it's nothing. C'mon, let's go home! To the planet as cool and blue as me!" He and Amy turn to leave, and all of the others follow. But Sonic stops at the door. He takes one last look out the window. "Sayonara…Shadow the Hedgehog."

* * *

 _ **A new day brings a new adventure.**_

 _ **But for now…**_

 _ **Rest easy, heroes.**_

—–—

 **FIN**


	11. Epilogue: This Machine

…

 **Unknown Time**

 **Secret base**

Rouge the Bat swoops down from atop a long shaft, landing in a crouch on the ground, and quickly diving up against a wall, careful not to trigger any alarms. She now wears a different outfit, a skin-tight, spandex purple suit and matching boots, with a heart symbol on the front of her waist. She now wears pink makeup instead of blue. She turns to her side, at a keypad in the wall, and begins rapidly tapping at the keys. The device beeps, and the door begins to open. Rouge takes a moment to admire her own handiwork before stepping through.

"This must be it! I've found Eggman's secret treasure!" The door closes behind her as she steps towards a large machine in the center of the room, topped with a pod filled with a strange green fluid. She begins carefully examining the controls on the device.

In the far shadows of the room, a pair of circular red lights light up as the mechanical head they're attached to lifts and activates. The robot takes one step forward, then the next. Through the red glare of its eyes, an analysis of the room can be seen. Rouge, now working away at the controls of the machine, is targeted first. Then, through the metal and fluid of the pod, another life form is targeted, unmistakably a hedgehog.

Through Rouge's efforts, the fluid in the pod begins to drain. The fogged glass pops open, revealing the unconscious form of Shadow the Hedgehog inside. Rouge gasps aloud, putting a hand to her mouth in surprise.

In an instant, Shadow's eyes open. Immediately, he glances to the side, just in time to see the imminent danger. He dives out of the pod just as the robot's machine gunfire obliterates it, tackling Rouge to the ground. The weapon continues to deliver devastation to the other mechanical structures in the room. Shadow stops for only a moment to declare to the still-grounded Rouge, "Stay here!" Then he leaps back after the assailant.

Rouge finally recovers enough sense to let out a stunned, "Shadow!?"

The robot continues to indiscriminately deliver relentless gunfire in every direction. For the first time, its form can be clearly seen. It has a rectangular yellow head, with massive black shoulders and a red chest. It appears to have machine guns instead of hands. Inscribed on one of its shoulders is the Greek symbol for Omega. It locks firmly onto Shadow as a target, who begins leaping from wall to wall, machine to machine, avoiding the gunfire while slowly drawing nearer to Omega. Omega suddenly shouts out, "Must eradicate all Eggman's robots!"

From her spot on the ground, Rouge lets out a confused, "Huh?"

Shadow lands on the ground just in front of Omega, then dives straight for it. Omega holds firm, continuing to fire. Just as the two are only feet away from each other, Rouge suddenly flies right between the two of them, grabbing each of their heads with a hand to stop them from colliding. "Hey, hold up!" She pushes them back and lands on the ground, panting. Each looks at her, wordlessly.

—–—

The fight has left the lab completely destroyed. Heaps of scrap and sparking wires lie scattered about. Only a few machines still have some semblance of functionality, with just a few lights still blinking. The lighting in the room flickers and dims. Rouge casually sits atop one particularly tall wrecked machine. "Now I get it… Now I know what this is all about. I, of course, am still searching for Eggman's treasure." She turns and points to Omega, standing down on the floor. It now has long metallic claws instead of guns. "You're mad at Eggman, for sealing you in this room." The robot looks down at the ground, as if in shame. Rouge closes her eyes, sighs, and turns to Shadow, standing opposite to Omega. "And you…you can't remember anything, can you?" He looks at neither of them, but stares off into the corner of the room, arms crossed. At the end of her words, he turns his head just enough to see them out of the corner of his eye. Then he just barely, almost unnoticeably, shakes his head.

"Then it's settled!" She jumps off of her pedestal and onto the floor. Immediately, she grabs Shadow's arm and nearly slams him into Omega. Shadow gets into a stance ready to resume the interrupted fight. Instead, Rouge quickly continues, "Now you two make up, so we can start looking for Eggman, together." She takes each of their hands, and drags them together, putting her own free hand on top. Shadow is very disgruntled by such contact, and unsuccessfully tries to tear his hand away. Rouge ignores him. "Aw yeah, baby! _This_ makes us a team!"

* * *

 **Story-wise, I added this epilogue (the first Team Dark cutscene from Sonic Heroes) because I couldn't leave less-familiar readers with the cliffhanger of Shadow's death when Shadow is used so heavily later. But I'm going to be honest here. I only really made this last part as an afterthought, because I really wanted to add this note without interrupting the emotional conclusion of Part 10 or violating the rules of FanFiction. I can't have a chapter without any story content.**

 **In regards to this story, I believe this to be my first, last, and only novelization. I do have one idea that I'm throwing around, an alternate-universe ending to Shadow the Hedgehog (the game, not the character), but that is still only really an idea, and even if I do decide to act on it, it won't be a novelization, and I won't be giving a lot of care to it since I want to focus on something else. Also, I'd like to remind you that I have a dedicated section for this story on my website, SonicChaosProject{dot}wordpress{dot}com, where you can get a little more backstory on the writing of this story, as well as a detailed episode guide. For even more exclusive information and facts about the story, you can look into posts I've made under the category of Cast by the Light, where you can find detailed episode reviews for each part.**

 **Anyways, I'm going to keep up with the honesty and tell you that this is a shameless advertisement for my primary story, The Chaos Project, which I will be resuming immediately. Shadow is not currently a main character of that story, but in just a few episodes, starting with the "Black Cloak" arc, he will become an absolutely vital part of the story. I'm doing a lot of exploring into his character, his feelings and motivations, and his role in the Sonic universe post-06. But even before the Black Cloak arc, there will be more than a few direct references back to this story in the near future (or back to Sonic Adventure 2, if you'd prefer). My central point being; if you enjoyed this story, you may love the Chaos Project, and I would love for you to give it a try.**

 **Before I bid you farewell, I would lastly like to remind you that I** _ **NEED**_ **your constructive criticisms. Anything you have to say, anything at all, about this story or any of my others, can help me get better as a writer, and help me make the story better for** _ **you**_ **. I am very grateful for the small amount of advice that I have received for this story, and I sincerely do hope to get more such advice from more of my readers in the future. So thank you all, and until we meet again, remember to live and learn every day!**


End file.
